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Report on Virginia public education standards and policies overdue
Over a four-month period in 2022, Virginia leaders in education and workforce development held a series of meetings to provide recommendations to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration on improving state K-12 education. However, a report on recommendations from those meetings, which were convened to fulfill the requirements of a 2022 law known as House Bill 938, […]
To curb crashes, Virginia installs more pedestrian beacons
In Central Virginia, multiple pedestrian fatalities – including the death of a Virginia Commonwealth University student killed after a vehicle drove onto a sidewalk where he was walking a few weeks ago – have renewed efforts to reduce traffic crashes. City of Richmond leaders recently announced they are planning to install pedestrian hybrid beacons to […]
Director of Virginia higher education council to step down after 12 years
One of Virginia’s top higher education policy officials is stepping down from his post. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the coordinating body for colleges and universities in the commonwealth, announced Thursday that it will begin its search for a new leader after long-time director Peter Blake said he would be leaving the […]
Tidewater, Southwest, Western regions biggest winners on school construction grants
Tidewater and Eastern Shore school divisions, including those in Norfolk and Newport News, are receiving about a quarter of $365 million in grants Virginia is handing out to modernize and repair school buildings as well as construct new ones. On May 11, the Virginia Board of Education unanimously approved 42 grants to school divisions across […]
Hampton Roads again leads Virginia metro areas in vehicle crashes
Hampton Roads led all metropolitan areas in Virginia for vehicle crashes in 2022, outstripping Richmond and Northern Virginia during a period of increasing fatal crashes statewide. The region, which encompasses such cities as Hampton, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, recorded the highest rate of vehicle crashes in Virginia in 2022, at 1.8 crashes per million […]
Virginia crime board awards local law enforcement $1.6 million for new license plate readers
Despite pushback by some members concerned with privacy, the Virginia Criminal Justice Services Board on Thursday awarded $1.6 million in grants to local governments for the purchase of new license plate readers. Those grants will allow 32 localities to purchase 212 of the devices as part of a broader award of $53.5 million in federal […]
Virginia pushes back renewal date for thousands of teacher licenses amid processing delays
The Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously during a Thursday emergency meeting to extend to June 30, 2024 the expiration date for teacher and other educator licenses that must be regularly renewed. The original deadline was next month. Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons urged the board to consider extending the expiration date, saying systemic […]
Virginian requests federal funding for state Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Fund
The Virginia man who first proposed the creation of a state education fund to help former Black students denied an education under Massive Resistance is asking the federal government for $1 million to support it. Virginia’s Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Fund was created in 2004 and expanded during the 2023 legislative session. Ken […]
Virginia student homelessness numbers near pre-pandemic levels
As Virginia school divisions investigate increases in chronic student absences, data shows the state’s homeless youth rate is returning close to pre-pandemic levels. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia recorded about 10,000 homeless youth in public schools annually. Those numbers dropped by nearly 3,000 students in the 2020-21 school year. Since then, however, they have […]
Virginia schools increasingly eye weapons detectors to keep firearms out of buildings
Across Virginia, public school leaders are considering new measures to address violent threats to students and staff — starting at the front door. However, the proposals, including the addition of weapons detectors to school buildings, come with a cost and call into question the efficacy of existing measures in place in many divisions. Efforts to […]
Commanders sale could revive Virginia General Assembly interest in stadium relocation
The potential sale of the Washington Commanders is reviving interest among Virginia lawmakers in pitching the franchise on relocating its stadium and commercial complex to the commonwealth. Last year, the Virginia General Assembly abandoned legislation that offered the Commanders incentives ranging from $300 million to $1 billion amid growing concerns over the use of potential […]
Uncertain timetable on budget puts Virginia schools in tight spot on hiring
Virginia lawmakers’ lack of a timetable for finalizing state budget amendments has left public school leaders uncertain about their own budgets. Some division heads say they are uneasy about their ability to hire and retain teachers because of the lack of clarity on state funding for the next school year. Under the existing two-year budget, […]