Educators are keeping an eye on Richmond this week, as lawmakers wrap up work on the state budget.
Members of the General Assembly are hammering out the differences between two versions of the state budget. One provides almost $200 million more dollars for public school divisions.
Monday, Richmond mayor Levar Stoney stood outside the state capital and urged lawmakers
to give public school children every single dollar they could.
“Simply put the House budget is a better deal for Richmond. And it’s a better deal for Richmond public school students as well,” Stoney said.
According to an analysis by the Commonwealth Institute, the House version of the budget gives Richmond $2.4 million more than the Senate version does for K-12 education. Roanoke gets $1.8 million more, and Virginia Beach gets $9 million more.
Superintendent of Richmond Public schools Jason Kamras says that’s money he could put to use.
“It’s the difference between having advance classes for all of our kids in all parts of our city and not having those advance classes,” he said.
House lawmakers can afford the extra spending because their version of the budget expands Medicaid. That frees up about $400 million that the state currently spends providing healthcare to the poor.
