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Good and Bad News about Virginia’s K-12 Education Budget
While we are celebrating that our K-12 education funding priorities are funded for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, we must remember that,...

Marianne Burke, PhD
May 16, 20245 min read


A Coalition of Public School Advocates Demand Action from Governor Youngkin
In collaboration with the Virginia Grassroots Coalition , 4 Public Education initiated a letter to Governor Youngkin about the upcoming...

Marianne Burke, PhD
May 10, 20241 min read


DEI is here to Stay
You can’t just ignore problems away. Author's forward: I wrote this piece on a snowy day in January. Dr. Claudine Gay had just resigned,...

Anjy Cramer
May 1, 20249 min read


Fight to Eliminate Sexual Assault in Virginia NOW
Thursday, April 24th, was a beautiful day for a moving experience of shared trauma, survival, triumph, and advocacy. Many thanks to Lisa...

Vanessa Hall
Apr 26, 20243 min read


Groundhog Day comes in April as Negotiations Fail and Budget Deadline Looms
The Virginia General Assembly reconvened in Richmond as originally planned on April 17, 2024 but adjourned early, after only one day....

Marianne Burke, PhD
Apr 25, 20242 min read


Fairfax County Public Schools 2025 Budget
It is that time of year again: Fairfax County Budget approval, and like clockwork complaints are raised about how much our county is...

Rick Clayton
Apr 20, 20243 min read


Point in the Right Direction When it Comes to VA's Budget
Discover the complexities of Virginia's budget cycle and the contentious budget put forward by Governor Youngkin. Learn how it impacts public education in VA.

Cheryl Binkley
Apr 20, 20244 min read


Governor Guts K-12 Bipartisan Budget and Gaslights Virginians About the Impact
Governor Youngkin continues to feed Virginians misinformation after he gutted the K-12 Education component of the Bipartisan General...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Apr 12, 20241 min read


Virginia, Ask Your Representatives to Vote YES for Education Funding
The Budget Conference amended version of the proposed state budget, Budget Bill HB 30, was adopted by the General Assembly on March 9th...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Mar 21, 20241 min read


Governor, Show Your Commitment to Education by Funding our Schools
End of Session Update: Budget Amendments The 2024 General Assembly session ended on March 9th with 12 of the 4 Public Education priority...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Mar 14, 20243 min read


Is the Governor Gaslighting Virginia about K-12 Education funding?
As the 2024 General Assembly draws to a close, the drama over the budget continues to ramp up. Much of the discussion about the budget...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Mar 7, 20244 min read


Progress on Key School Funding Issues in Virginia House and Senate Budgets
Improving support for K-12 public education to help students thrive is a widely shared goal. Students across Virginia deserve funding...

Briana Jones
Feb 29, 20242 min read


Update: Active Priority Education Bills in the General Assembly
This is an update from the report on priority education bills that was published on February 14, 2024 and is current as of Wednesday, February 28, 2024. The following five bills have passed both chambers and will go to Governor Youngkin for consideration. He will decide whether he will sign, veto, or amend each bill or allow it to become law by not addressing it. If the Governor vetoes or amends any bill it will go back to the General Assembly for further consideration. Th

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 28, 20241 min read


Will Virginia Fund or Underfund Our Schools?
Budget Amendments are a Critical Part of the Legislative Process Things are certainly heating up in the General Assembly! Not only are...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 21, 20243 min read


Black History, Our History
Black history is American history. Our schools should integrate Black, Asian, Hispanic, and queer history throughout our history books and curricula so that we don’t have to rely on single weeks or months throughout the year to highlight important events, contributions, and history associated with often overlooked Americans. But until that happens, we need to raise up cultural and historical contributions from all of our great Americans and American immigrants to this nation.

Vanessa Hall
Feb 15, 20243 min read


Halftime at the Virginia Statehouse: Priority Education Bill Update
February 13th, Crossover Day, is the “halftime” of the General Assembly. This is the deadline for bills to be passed in each chamber so...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 14, 20242 min read


Crossover Looming at the Statehouse
The pace has picked up in Virginia’s General Assembly as we approach some key deadlines. ‘Crossover’ is February 13, the deadline by...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 7, 20243 min read


Virginia Colleges: Don't Close the Door on Dyslexics
A Call to Advocacy for SB21 and HB509 I am a parent of a dyslexic student. When it became clear in first grade that our daughter could not read, we had to pay for private testing to ensure that our daughter accessed dyslexia services in FCPS before she fell so far behind that she could never catch up or was so filled with self-doubt that she was convinced that she would never succeed. Due to the support of amazing FCPS teachers and staff, our daughter is reading close to grad

Vanessa Hall
Feb 1, 20243 min read


Priority Education Bills are Advancing at the Statehouse
February 3rd will end the third week of the 2024 Session of Virginia’s General Assembly. At the time of this writing, one priority...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Feb 1, 20243 min read


What a Difference the Election Made!
Last year, public education advocates were unsuccessful at getting the 2023 priority education bills passed in the General Assembly. ...

Marianne Burke, PhD
Jan 25, 20242 min read
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Trump’s “Patriotic Education” Edict Causes Harm and Citizens Should Object
Discover how Virginia's resistance to Trump's "patriotic education" edict sets a precedent for the nation. Learn why citizens should object to Trump's harmful edict, which attempts to rewrite American history.


At the Statehouse: Crossover is Complete as General Assembly Season Nears the End
Explore how the Virginia General Assembly's 2026 crossover was a success for bills from both houses. As the General Assembly session draws to a close, education and budget decisions continue to be made by legislators and Governor Spanberger. Learn more now.


Will They or Won't They? Congress Unlikely to Approve Closure of Dept of Education
Explore why Congress is unlikely to approve the closure of the Department of Education despite pressure from the Trump Administration. Discover impacts on our students' opportunities and education as the Trump Administration continues to defund and destroy the Department of Education.
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