The Latest from VEA

Today the House Education SOQ and SOL Subcommittee voted to move forward on VEA’s Priority Legislation.

HB 1929, known as the School Equity and Staffing Act, introduced by Delegate Aird, passed the Subcommittee by a vote of 21-0.

The VEA commends bill sponsor Del. Aird’s leadership to meet Virginia students’ needs and guide this critical legislation. We thank the members of the Subcommittee for passing HB 1929.  As Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg said so eloquently, “The way you make the funding work is you make the policy a priority… And you make the policy a priority by constantly banging the drum.”

The COVID pandemic is just the latest crisis to shine a spotlight on Virginia’s schools’ underfunding and the inequitable distribution of the resources students need to thrive in the Commonwealth.  HB 1929 will be a significant step toward ensuring that students have access to the programs, as well as the teachers, counselors, and other essential professionals who serve our schools.

Virginia must commit to its Standards of Quality for public schools and fully fund them, and that’s where the School Equity and Staffing Act leads us.

Make sure to sign the VEA PETITION in support of The School Equity and Staffing Act (HB1929)

Other VEA supported legislation reported favorably by the House Ed SOQ and SOL Subcommittee today included,

HB 1736 introduced by Delegate Dawn Adams.  HB 1736 requires that no individual who provides nursing services in a public elementary or secondary school as a school board employee or through a contract with the local health department shall use the title of school nurse unless such individual is a registered nurse who possesses an active license to practice in the Commonwealth.

HB 1865 introduced by Delegate Karrie Delenay.  HB 1865  Requires reading intervention services for students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading test or any reading diagnostic test that meets criteria established by the Department of Education to be evidence-based and aligned with the science of reading and structured literacy approaches, both defined in the bill, and to include the components of effective reading instruction and explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction.

HB 2027 introduced by Delegate Carrie Coyner.  HB 2027, would replace the current SOLs with a “Through-Year” growth-assessment model for grades three through eight in math and reading, and reduce overall test time. The bill further prohibits the total time spent taking each such assessment over each of the three annual administrations from exceeding 150 percent of the time spent taking a single end-of-year proficiency assessment.

HB 1905 introduced by Delegate Davis. HB 1905 adds to objectives developed and approved by the Board of Education for economics education and financial literacy at the middle and high school levels the implications of various employment arrangements with regard to benefits, protections, and long-term financial sustainability.

HB 2058 introduced by Delegate Simonds.  HB 2058 creates the Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Board to create a unified vision regarding STEM education initiatives, language, and measures of success to promote a culture of collaboration for STEM programming in the Commonwealth. The Board will be tasked with developing the infrastructure for creating STEM Regional Hubs and naming STEM Champions in communities across the Commonwealth.

Stay tuned for an update on VEA Lobby Week-in-Action.