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U.S. Dept of Ed investigating civil rights claim related to Powhatan school consent form
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating whether Powhatan County Public Schools discriminated against a student with disabilities and then retaliated against the child and their family for their advocacy efforts because the student’s mother refused to sign a consent form letting the division share certain information with other local and […]
Jillian Balow resigns as Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction
Jillian Balow has resigned as Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction but will remain a consultant for the administration, according to a March 1 letter addressed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Balow did not provide an explanation for her resignation, which is effective March 9. “Having now served as the top school official in two states, I […]
Bills would let Norfolk and Virginia State Universities lower some out-of-state tuition
Norfolk and Virginia State Universities may soon be able to offer reduced tuition rates for certain out-of-state students after the General Assembly passed a pair of bills granting them that authority. An earlier version of the legislation could have opened the door for all public higher education institutions in Virginia to offer reduced out-of-state tuition […]
General Assembly ‘skinny budget’ fills school funding shortfall caused by Dept. of Ed error
While the General Assembly has been unable to make a deal on changes to Virginia’s two-year budget, lawmakers agreed Saturday to appropriate millions to Virginia’s public schools to address a $201 million error as part of a stopgap budget. The spending plan includes $132.7 million for the current school year and $125.8 million for the […]
Virginia Explained: Why can just nine localities impose a sales tax for school capital projects?
The responsibility of meeting school construction costs has shifted out of reach for some localities in Virginia. Many schools, lawmakers say, have fallen into disrepair, while others need modernization. In recent years, some lawmakers have said supporting school capital projects is the onus of local governments. In response, some localities have successfully asked the legislature […]
License plate reader bills abruptly die in Virginia legislature
Despite broad earlier support for the proposal, the Virginia House and Senate this week killed legislation that would have codified a 2020 Virginia Supreme Court decision allowing law enforcement agencies to use and store data from license plate readers while limiting the storage of most data to 30 days. Over the last few days, momentum […]
Bills to bolster career and technical education falter in General Assembly
Efforts to strengthen Virginia’s career and technical education mostly failed in the General Assembly this session, despite Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s goal of having every high school senior graduate with an industry-recognized credential. ”This whole idea of utilizing these great assets and education we have, but getting them to work together is what I think we […]
Senate kills House-backed measure on elected school boards
A proposal that could have led to fewer appointed school boards in Virginia by allowing voters to decide by referendum if their local board should be elected died in the Senate Friday. Senators killed House Bill 1574, which would have impacted 15 school boards, with an 11-27 vote. “We feel like our school system does […]
Democratic-led panel kills ‘parental rights’ bills on school books, gender identity
A Democratic-led Senate committee on Thursday killed multiple bills from House Republicans that aimed to increase parental oversight in public schools. The votes continue a trend of lawmakers of both parties opposing each other’s controversial legislation and killing them in committee hearings. Bills defeated by the Senate Education and Health Committee included proposals to require […]
Port of Virginia hit cargo volume records in 2021, 2022
The Port of Virginia is rebounding after a difficult stint during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission show the port moved record high volumes of cargo in both 2021 and 2022. Cargo volume was 5% higher in 2022 than 2021. Joseph Harris, a spokesman for the Port of Virginia, said […]
Bill proposes requiring all Virginia motorists to have insurance
Virginia drivers may soon be required to have car insurance to drive in the commonwealth after bipartisan support sent legislation to the governor for approval. Senate Bill 951, which is being carried by Republican Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg, would repeal an option in state law for drivers to register an uninsured motor vehicle by […]
Threat assessment bills propose fixes in how Virginia colleges respond to violence
Virginia’s colleges and universities may soon be permitted to obtain criminal histories and health records of people seen as posing a “significant” threat on campuses under legislation that recently passed both the House and Senate. The legislation, which was carried by Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford, and Del. Amanda Batten, R-James City, was filed in response […]