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With student loan forgiveness halted, White House says 685K Virginia borrowers eligible for relief
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to consider the legality of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, the White House on Friday released data showing 685,000 borrowers in Virginia applied or were automatically eligible for debt relief. Of those, 429,000 applications were approved by the U.S. Department of Education and sent to loan servicers […]
Bill increasing parental oversight of school library materials clears House but faces tough Senate
Legislation giving parents more control over checkout procedures for books and materials in Virginia’s public school libraries passed the Republican-controlled House of Delegates Thursday. But Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, who chairs the Senate’s public education subcommittee, said such a proposal is unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. The Senate Education and Health Committee earlier this […]
Green Book legislation passes Virginia House
Decades before people could rely on the internet for hotel or restaurant suggestions, Black Americans traveling across the country during the Jim Crow era relied on a guidebook of amenities to keep safe in segregated parts of the country. Now Virginia legislators are considering giving travelers the opportunity to explore the routes and places found in […]
General Assembly to weigh proposal to turn college savings surplus into scholarships
After a review found a Virginia college savings program has racked up more than a billion dollars in surplus funds, a lawmaker is proposing to put that money toward scholarships for low-income students. “I think this is a unique opportunity for us to use these dollars forever,” said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, the patron of […]
Foster youth in Virginia colleges have nowhere to go during breaks. A bill wants to fix that.
Virginia lawmakers are considering a solution for college and university students who came out of foster care and may not have a place to return during breaks. Del. Anne Tata, R-Virginia Beach, is proposing House Bill 1403 to require higher education institutions in Virginia to provide housing access at no cost to foster students during […]
Facing teacher shortages, Virginia legislators propose ideas to bring up pay, lighten workloads
As Virginia continues to struggle with teacher shortages, lawmakers have proposed a range of bills that aim to address low job satisfaction among public school teachers. The state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recently found that 10,900 teachers left the workforce ahead of the current school year, while only 7,208 teachers with first-time licenses […]
Lawmakers consider expanding eligibility for state Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship
Nearly a million dollars sits in a state scholarship fund for people denied a public education during Massive Resistance, when Virginia imposed a set of laws to prevent school desegregation. Now a lawmaker is pushing to expand the criteria for more candidates to apply. Last month, Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, filed House Bill 1419, which […]
General Assembly poised to take up array of parental rights bills
Virginia Republicans’ push for parental rights, a term used to cover a range of policies from so-called school choice to oversight of public school library books, is poised to spark debates as the General Assembly convenes this week in Richmond. Starting on Thursday, lawmakers will dig deeper into a slate of education bills that include […]
Virginia attorney general extends TJ investigation to all Fairfax County schools
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office has extended its civil rights investigation of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology to all high schools in Fairfax County, claiming officials allegedly withheld National Merit Scholarship honors from their students. “It’s concerning that multiple schools throughout Fairfax County withheld merit awards from students,” said Miyares in […]
One-third of Virginia community colleges lack close public transit connections
Two-thirds of community and technical college campuses in Virginia are within a half-mile walking distance of a public transit stop. For the remaining third, students traveling by public transit must walk more than half a mile to reach campus, with a quarter of all Virginia campuses located more than four and a half miles from […]
Republican lawmakers revive push for school choice legislation
Republican lawmakers are reviving school choice legislation as part of what they say is a push to strengthen parental rights and expand educational opportunities. On Thursday, Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach, held a press conference after filing House Bill 1508 to create the Virginia Education Account Program, a proposal that would allow parents to set […]
Virginia reviewing potential of two-way I-95 express lanes
As calls to reduce traffic congestion grow, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is reviewing the potential of converting the Interstate 95 Express Lanes to operate in both directions instead of switching direction along with traffic. On Dec. 20, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay and Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler […]