Now that the Democrats are seizing power in Richmond, interest groups are already angling for money from the budget.
Fund Our Schools. That’s the rallying cry for a handful of public education advocates who are demanding full funding for Virginia schools.
Rachael Deane is the legal director of the JustChildren program at the Legal Aid Justice Center
“When we say full funding," Deane explains, "what we are really asking for is for the Commonwealth to meet its constitutional obligation to provide a quality education for every child.”
The Virginia Constitution requires a high quality educational program for all school-age children throughout the Commonwealth. According to one estimate from the Virginia Board of Education, that could cost as much as $950 million.
And yet Chris Duncombe at the Commonwealth Institute says he’s heard from school divisions across Virginia about a lack of resources.
“There were leaking roofs and literally there’d be lines of trash cans to collect the rain as it falls," Duncombe says. "Issues of black mold and health hazards from that, including in some instances rodent infestations in the school facilities.”
Before the recession, Virginia spent about 40% more than the national average on education. That’s according to annual financial reports. Since the recession, though, state funding never really recovered. Per pupil spending in Virginia is now lower than the national average. And that’s why the Legal Aid Justice Center is joining with the Commonwealth Institute and New Virginia Majority on an effort they call Fund Our Schools.
Those groups are holding a press conference about the issue this afternoon at Armstrong High School in Richmond.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
