The Latest from VEA

Each year, the Virginia Education Association salutes General Assembly members who truly step up on behalf of public schools, students, and educators. For their excellent work in this year’s session, the VEA Legislative Committee has chosen nine Legislative Champions, four Legislative Rookies of the Year, and two Legislators of the Year. The 2024 honorees are:

Legislative Champions:

• Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling, for her sponsorship of legislation to address indoor air quality in our schools and her support to increase school funding.
• Delegate Nadarius Clark, for supporting policies to attract and retain qualified teachers, and sponsoring legislation to get teachers above the national pay average and provide education support professionals with a living wage.
• Delegate Carrie Coyner, for supporting bills aimed at improving school safety, increasing funding for schools, and expanding access to quality education for all students.
• Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi, for her efforts to expand access to early childhood education, increase teacher and education support professional pay, and enhance school safety measures, and for her work as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee.
• Senator Mamie E. Locke, for her consistent support of bills and initiatives aimed at improving the quality of education in Virginia, increasing funding for schools, and supporting educators.
• Delegate Michelle Maldonado, for sponsoring legislation to expand the National Board Teacher Certification program and her unwavering support to increase school funding.
• Delegate Sam Rasoul, for his work on addressing school funding issues as identified by JLARC recommendations, educator shortages, and for his work as Chair of the House Committee on Education.
• Senator Aaron R. Rouse, for his stalwart dedication to the cause of public education, and for including school funding revenue-raising measures in various pieces of legislation.
• Delegate Shelly Simonds, for addressing duty-free lunch time and planning time for educators and for her work as Chair of the House Subcommittee on Public Education.

Legislative Rookies of the Year
Three Delegates and one Senator earned this honor for the way they served as effective representatives while learning the ropes as legislators:

• Delegate Rae Cousins
• Delegate Michael Feggans
• Delegate Phil Hernandez
• Senator Stella Pekarsky

Legislators of the Year

• Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott, Jr., the first Black person to serve in that position, for being instrumental in shaping policy and budget advancements for public schools during this session. He fought for crucial revenue streams to fund critical, essential investments in school staff pay and supplemental funding for schools that serve a high-poverty population.

• Senator L. Louise Lucas, for her longtime service as a vocal advocate on issues including education, health care, civil rights, and economic development. She has been particularly active in fighting for underserved communities and promoting social justice, and she also made history this year as the first Black woman to serve as chair if the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.