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School Board Matters, January 11, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s), including links to primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education. We hope this will provide better access to and understanding of the Fairfax County School Board, including their powers and duties, as governed by the Code of Virginia. Although this blog will primarily focus on Fairfax County, we will share school board meeting reports from around the state, when possible. Please take a moment check out our blog to familiarize yourself with the new 2024 Fairfax County School Board. The 1/12/23 Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) meeting began with an incredible and unique performance of the National Anthem by the Herndon High School Guitar 4 Ensemble. The new school board started off with tough votes on the agenda regarding student assaults, showing that they are prepared to make the hard choices to ensure the safety and discipline of FCPS students and staff. Then, the board voted unanimously on the new Chair (Mr. Karl Frisch), Vice Chair (Ms. Melanie Meren), and Committee Assignments. Public Input Public input included sincere students, parents, and community members speaking about concerns or wishing the new School Board well, including: A middle school student requested more gluten-free food options in schools for students with Celiacs disease, because right now there is one hot gluten-free meal a month (nachos) and the salad bar. Ms. Leslie Houston and Chuck Bronco (President and Vice President, respectively) of the Fairfax Education Association welcomed the new board members and offered to work with them on building an environment that benefits all stakeholders while growing a supportive and caring educational environment. An active PTA and community volunteer and parent from Herndon middle and high school who supports the Strategic Plan with equity at the center of the plan. She asks them to address the numerous inequities on all academic factors between Herndon middle and nearby middle schools. She submits a report to the clerk and offers a dire picture that needs to be addressed. Cheryl Binkley, President of 4 Public Education, gave a moving speech about how public schools had given her sustenance and salvation during trying times in her life. She thanks the new School Board for standing up to ensure that FCPS can offer similar opportunities and refuge for our county’s students and teachers. Robert Rigby spoke about the terrible happenings in Shenandoah and Rockingham counties where the school boards are banning books, outing kids, misgendering students, and removing the privacy of students. Firmly, he asked that this new School Board stand up for our schools, because appeasement does not work. Of course, there was the usual crowd of angry people making dubious claims, sharing disinformation, and/or attacking the school board. One particularly egregious speech by a failed political candidate maligned the students, parents, and community members of the Family Life Education (FLE) committee; Unitarian Universalists; Catholics; and other people of faith while purposefully misrepresenting the words and actions of the same. (How do I that the speaker was untruthful? I just so happen to be a member of the FLE committee. I do not know this speaker's intent--other than ill intent--or why he misrepresented the words, actions, and intentions of close to 25 other people in the room. I guess only time will tell.) There was also a speech by a well-known parent who is running a recall campaign; however, this recall is unlikely to be successful based on the number of signatures required (nearly 3,000), Virginia law, and recent precedent. A parent new to FCPS school board meetings expressed concern and surprise about the political nature of so many of the speakers. Another audience member commented that all of the angriest speakers left after public input, which means that they missed the hardest work of a school board. School Board Business Academic Matters: Dr. Reid shared a comprehensive presentation on graduation rates and diploma outcomes that shows some improvement in increased graduation and reduced dropout rates since 2019 despite the loss of flexibility offered during the pandemic. Dr. Anderson and other school board members asked hard and revealing questions about the presentation including about the disparity of rates for lower income, disabled, and English as a second language (ESOL) students. Student Representative Matters: Ms. Karim shared expectations of collaboration with the new school board and shared information about SEAL activities, Navigant difficulties, the need to include ESOL student perspective, school security, and more. Superintendent Matters: Dr. Reid welcomes the new board and shares happenings around the county. Proposed 2025-29 Capital Improvement Program (CIP): There was a thorough discussion of the current CIP that was presented by Ms. Szymanski, the Chief of Facilities Services and Capital Programs. This presentation revealed that the 37 year lag has increased to a 42 year lag in improvement projects which inspired significant discussion. The public can provide in-person input on this draft plan on 1/18/24 to the School Board. Consent Agenda: Typically, the consent agenda is agreed to; however, newly elected school board member from Mt. Vernon, Mr. Matteo Dunne challenged six of the eleven items based on his experience as a procurement expert (wow!!). A friend observed that Mr. Dunne “brought up some excellent points, and it started a very thoughtful dialog in which people really listened to each other and worked through a challenging topic to get to some very good conclusions about what needs to be done.” Board Matters: Each School Board member gave a succinct personal statement to introduce themselves to the audience, some of which were quite moving. I strongly suggest you listen to see what caring, knowledgeable people have been elected to our board. This was the first meeting of the School Board elected in 2024, and it adjourned at approximately 11:04 pm. Observations of those remaining in the room agreed that everyone was genuinely open and respectful and willing to do the serious work of the School Board. A couple of people remarked how different the meeting would have been if some of the earlier speakers, who were also candidates, had won. Thank you, Fairfax County, for choosing wisely for our students, staff, and public schools!

School Board Matters, January 25, 2024 meeting School Board meetings are ground zero for the culture wars. Our “School Board Matters” blog will include analysis and links to video, agenda, and votes that affect you and your student(s), including links to primary source documents to support involvement in your student’s experience and education. We hope this will provide better access to and understanding of the Fairfax County School Board, including their powers and duties, as governed by the Code of Virginia. Although this blog will primarily focus on Fairfax County, we will share school board meeting reports from around the state, when possible. Please take a moment check out our blog to familiarize yourself with the new 2024 Fairfax County School Board. The 1/25/23 Fairfax County School Board (FCSB) meeting began with a lovely performance of the National Anthem by Buzz Aldrin Elementary School (Resont, VA)–for me, it was nice to see a friend’s kids sing! Dr. Ricardy Anderson read the proclamation honoring Ms. Michelle Leete, President of the Fairfax NAACP who had dedicated her life to the pursuit of a more just and equitable society, and whose death leaves a gaping hole in our community. Dr. Anderson shared the many accomplishments of this remarkable leader whose legacy shall forever live in the hearts and minds of the Fairfax Community. Seemingly, there was not a volunteer position that Ms. Leete hadn’t held, including the PTA at the school, county, and statewide levels. She also served as President of Jack and Jill and a decades long leader and volunteer with Fairfax NAACP. Mr. Frisch detailed Ms. Leete’s crusade to ensure every individual is treated with respect and dignity. Ms. Leete knew that the future is in the hands of our children and worked tirelessly to raise their voices. Her legacy will live with those she touched. We pledge to carry forward her vision. Public Input Public input was dominated by sincere educators and citizens, many of whom spoke to the proclamation recognizing Ms. Leete: A music educator and therapist described inequity in music education. She shares the need for adapted music lessons and to help exceptional students, and to support music teachers who do not have the training needed to share the music curriculum with all students. Jenna White spoke on behalf of the Fairfax PTA to thank Dr. Anderson and the board for honoring Michelle Leete. She spoke to how Ms. Leete was always ready to say "yes" no matter how much she did, and that she was a powerful leader who was full of grace. An ESOL adult educator at ACE described their programming which involves teaching adults of all ages, the majority of whom are immigrants. They are hardworking people, many of whom are parents and FCPS current/future employees. Vanessa Hall thanked the new school board for running for election instead of running away. She says the community should partner with them because to make good change, one needs partners. She then spoke of Michelle Leete, a fiercely brave woman, a champion in our community. She asks that we take a page from her book to give back to the community and fight for civil rights. Sujatha Hampton, VP of NAACP, welcomed the School Board and thanked them for running. Dr. Hampton described Ms. Leete’s bravery in the face of attacks based on a dishonest representation of her civil rights speech which resulted in personal death threats and threats to the Fairfax NAACP. In the face of these threats, Michelle said, "I've survived much worse." School Board Business Academic Matters: Dr. Reid shared an interesting presentation on Academic Advising and Advanced Coursework. Any parent of a middle or high schooler should definitely look at this presentation and listen to the revealing questions by the entire school board afterward covering: other advanced programs in the arts and STEM, academy classes, costs of dual enrollment, the difference between AP and IB, how to share this information with parents, etc. I was happy to hear Ms. Dixit discuss the actual cost of dual enrollment at GMU, which my family has found is much closer to $900 than a “small administrative cost” shared by Dr. Presidio. Strategic Plan: Dr. Reid shared an update on the Strategic Plan as she will share during the second meeting of every month. Student Representative Matters: Ms. Karim provided a written update. Strategic Governance: Dr. Reid shared the Instructional Program report. Action Items: The Board voted on Personnel Appointments and Separations. The motion passed by 10 voting yes and 2 not present (Dunne and Lady). Board Matters: School Board members shared important news about their districts–it is worth a listen. This was the second meeting of the School Board elected in 2024 which adjourned at approximately 11:00 pm. Once again, I’m loving how well these folks work together and listen to each other. This is only the second public general meeting, but things are looking pretty darn good. There is sincere congeniality and support among the school board. There also seems to be mutual respect between the Superintendent and the School Board, which is nice since there was some rancor with the former Superintendent. It is nice that they are able to focus on academics without far right culture warriors interrupting or a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic derailing everyone’s education plans.

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.  Many do not know the origins of Black History month. It was started by a man who believed that history belonged to all of us: Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Black Historian.  Early in his studies, Dr. Woodson recognized that Black scholars needed to be able to study and preserve Black history, but that to do so he would need to create a separate institutional structure ., To accomplish this he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 and later the Journal of Negro History , now known as the Journal of African American History . Dr. Woodson knew that African-American contributions "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use[d] them." Woodson was determined to convince the general public to embrace the past — including the dark chapters on slavery and segregation. The 1920s saw a rise in African American arts and culture through what was considered a golden age of African American culture during the Harlem Renaissance . It was in this atmosphere that Dr. Woodson created Black History Week in 1926, which purposefully coincides with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, to highlight the accomplishments of two men instrumental to freedom in this country–a freedom beyond enslavement for African Americans. In Virginia, the former seat of the Confederacy, we see the change that began with Woodson over 100 years ago. Monuments to the Lost Cause and slavery have been toppled. We have renamed streets, schools, and districts to recognize the worth and decency of all of our citizens. The boundaries that were gerrymandering and which diluted the voting power of so many for so long are slowly being corrected  so that all of our votes will count no matter where we live.  Nowhere is this change more evident than in our General Assembly where the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus  is 32 members strong. You can’t help but see the march of history toward a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future when you look at the photos of the 2024 Black Caucus versus the first Black Caucus in 1968 which was the lone Dr. W.F. Reid. On January 10, 2024, Virginia Delegates voted unanimously for Democrat Don Scott  to become the first Black Speaker of the House in Virginia Legislature's 400-year history. During Black History Month 2024, we have a lot to celebrate, yet we need to continue to fight for civil rights and equality for all. There are those who mistakenly believe that teaching Black History is divisive , and there are those who are dissatisfied  with a diverse, inclusive future we are working toward; therefore, we need to continue to fiercely defend our successes and stridently work for future change. Carter G. Woodson’s passion was history, because he knew that we needed to truly understand our history to move toward a greater future. Be like Carter G. Woodson: make the change you wish to see in the world. Vanessa Hall is one of many local citizens in Fairfax County who successfully advocated to change the name of her children’s high school from W.T. Woodson to Carter G. Woodson. You can learn more about who these men were here in A Tale of Two Woodsons .

February 13th, Crossover Day, is the “halftime” of the General Assembly. This is the deadline for bills to be passed in each chamber so they can “cross over” to the other chamber for consideration. That is, bills that passed in the House of Delegates go to the Senate, and bills that pass in the Senate go to the House. Monday and Tuesday this week were long days on the floor of the House of Delegates and the Senate as the last bills came to a vote. Bills that did not pass in the original chamber are done for the year, but they could be “continued,” meaning that their consideration is intentionally delayed to next year. Other bills may be defeated–“laid on the table”–meaning they are passed over for this session, or are “left in committee” because time has run out for them to be considered. Priority Education Bill Updates Not all the priority education bills survived their first trip through a chamber. Check the status of our priority bills below. Endorsed priority education bills that passed in their originating chamber: HB 187 Teachers and support staff; compensation at or above national average salary. HB 398 Public elementary and secondary schools; student discipline, etc. HB 624 Public school funding; places several parameters on SOQ funding calculations performed by DOE. HB 625 Office of Community Schools; established within the Department of Education, etc. SB 14 Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties & cities to support schools. SB 104 Teachers; required to be compensated at or above national average. SB 272 Public schools; staffing ratios of teachers for English language learner students. Endorsed priority education bills that passed their originating chamber but are incorporated (bundled) into other bills: SB 127 School counselors; public school staffing ratios, increases specialized student support positions. (Incorporated into SB105) SB 128 Public schools; Standards of Quality funding calculations. (Incorporated into SB105) SB 227 Public school funding; places several parameters on SOQ funding calculations performed by DOE. (Incorporated into SB105) SB 228 Public schools; funding for English language learner students and children with disabilities. (Incorporated into SB105) Endorsed priority education bills that did not advance in their original chamber: HB 145 Virginia Teacher Residency Training Corps; established. HB 458 Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties & cities to support schools. Opposed priority education bills that were defeated in committee SJ 9 Teacher retention, etc.; JLARC to study the effect of salaries, employment benefits, etc. SB 37 Sage's Law; minor students experiencing gender incongruence, parental notification. Endorsed priority education bills that were continued (consideration delayed until the 2025 General Assembly). HB 181 School counselors; decreases public school staffing ratios. HB 386 Public schools; increase staffing ratios for specialized student support positions. HB 624 Public school funding; places several parameters on SOQ funding calculations performed by DOE. HB 865 Income tax, state; establishes a new tax bracket beginning on and after January 1, 2024. As the surviving House bills begin to be heard in Senate committees, and Senate bills begin to be heard in the House, those who support public education will be asked to address new calls to action to advocate for education bills. You can access the most current calls to action at this link.

The pace has picked up in Virginia’s General Assembly as we approach some key deadlines.  ‘Crossover’  is February 13, the deadline by which legislators must complete work on bills originating in the House of Delegates or the Senate. Any bills that have not passed their respective chamber will be left behind for this legislative session. In addition, deadlines loom for  each chamber to complete their budget amendment bills. The House Appropriations and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees must finalize their budget reports by midnight February 18 and finish consideration of their budget bills by February 22. Priority Education Bills This year 4 Public Education's priority bills have focused to a large extent on recommendations from two reports recently published by the Joint Legislation and Audit Review Commission (JLARC): Virginia’s K-12 Funding Formula and K-12 Teacher Pipeline. The priority bills address   revising the funding formula,  improving staffing to student ratios,  raising the salaries of teachers, and allowing communities to increase their sales tax to support public schools after a referendum. Unfortunately, some of these bills have been “continued” (delayed for consideration) until 2025 so if we are to fix the serious underfunding of Virginia’s public schools it will depend on successful budget negotiations. Other bills we have prioritized include changing the Virginia code to increase restorative over punitive discipline, and the initiation of an office of Community Schools. One bill that we oppose, an anti-trans student bill, is expected to be left in committee. The status of each of our priority bills can be followed at this link.  Calls to Action for bills to be heard before the crossover deadline (Feb 13) are at this link. Priority Budget Amendments At the time of this writing (Wednesday, Feb 7)  many of our priority bills are being heard in  appropriations committees because the bills have budget implications. Many of those that clear the respective chambers will also be addressed in  budget amendments to secure funds needed to enact the bills. Currently, legislators are submitting candidate budget amendments to the appropriations committees for consideration in their respective budget bills. The legislature is gearing up for what may become heated discussions over Governor Youngkin’s budget. The Governor’s tax package was defeated in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, at least in part  because the tax package would benefit the wealthiest and increase taxes for low income Virginians. Also, the bill that would have increased the tax rate for the upper tax bracket, called the Millionaire’s Tax, was “continued” (delayed) until 2025.   The revenue generated by that increased upper income tax rate was to fund public schools (50%), the Child Care Subsidy Program (30%), and the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (30%). Competition over funds in the budget will be exacerbated because public schools are facing a ‘fiscal cliff’ this year.  The covid related emergency federal subsidies are ending in September.  Many school districts, especially those that serve high-needs students, will face painful budget cuts as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds for public schools end. Opportunities to Advocate for Public Education Future communications from 4 Public Education will provide updates on priority education bills that are being heard in the other chamber and budget amendment bills coming out of the appropriations committees.  Opportunities to advocate for these bills will be shared by 4 Public Education in Newsletters and email messages. Please be sure you are on our  mailing list so you receive those announcements. Also, please remember that February 19 is public education lobby day at the statehouse. Public education advocates should register below to participate.

School Choice Week 2024 January 21-27 this year was the 14th year of National School Choice Week. Twenty-eight Governors across the country, and federal officials spoke declarations and held press conferences to tell parents how wonderful and necessary “school choice” is to their families and children. Governor Glenn Youngkin, who has made “school choice” a cornerstone of his administration, was among the officials.  National School Choice Week is a cross between a carnival and an all out celebration, the equivalent of Fashion Week for designer labels, only for K-12th graders. It also is reminiscent of the full-court press tobacco companies did for cigarettes across the 1950s and 60s, bringing out wholesome looking smokers and doctors who would tell the public smoking was good for their health.  School Choice week was started in 2011 by the Gleason Family Foundation, and this year it is estimated that the foundation gave over $14 million dollars to support the more than 27,000 events of 2024 National School Choice Week. Don’t look for it under the Gleason imprimatur though. The operational wing is NASCAF  (National School Choice Awareness Foundation) which shows a staff of 26 on its website .    The Gleason family was not alone in its contributions. The list of contributors is a virtual Who’s Who of ultra-wealthy maligners and critics of local public schools. The DeVos Foundation, and the Charles Koch Foundation’s  yes.every.kid Foundation, EdChoice which is the former Friedman Family Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation were  all contributors  through various programs and subsidiaries.  In 2024 the Invest in Education  group even launched a national ad campaign to promote a federal school choice act that would embed a private school tax credit into federal law, called ECCA (Educational Choice for Children Act). According to Open Secrets, they spent  $461,500 lobbying in 2023.   They recognize that  heart rending stories capture people’s hearts and use individual sad stories of children whose parents were in jail or who saw trauma in their families and attribute their salvation to the chance for a new school, but the reality is that most vouchers are used for students already attending private schools.  The changes in this year are that they have shifted the pitch from charter schools to vouchers, also called Education Savings Accounts, and the target market has shifted from primarily white families to ethnic communities and  communities of color.  The new vouchers and education savings accounts make big promises about helping “free” parents and students “trapped in government schools,” but the reality is that the average cost of a private school in Virginia is between  $13,000 for elementary  and $15,000 for high schools, while the average per pupil funding from state resources is  $5,623 for each of the state’s 1.2 million elementary and secondary school students.  Where is the average working family supposed to find the $8,000 to $9,500 difference?  What school choice proponents overlook is that local public schools belong to and are run by the communities whose children use them. They are not “government schools.” They are our schools  for our children , and there are hundreds of built in safeguards and benefits we have structured into them, from electives to technology, and sports to arts programs. Public schools provide higher math than most private or homeschoolers can provide. Our schools, even in small counties, have global diplomas and AP courses that students can choose who want access to the best international universities. We have Career and Technology programs in 17 clusters of different certifications that serve 670,000 students a year. That’s over half of the 1.2 million students in Virginia who are able to access career training. Through elected school boards we can draw from parents and community members who want high quality schools for all the children in their area. Here in Virginia we literally have a world class education system far beyond what out-of-state billionaires will provide for our children, in exchange for our hard earned tax dollars they don’t pay, and the missing school busses they won’t drive as part of their broken school choice promises.

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 grade level and excelling in high school.  Nevertheless, some Virginia colleges would force us to pay for private testing again to demonstrate that she still has dyslexia in order to access learning disability support in college. Not every college…just some. Which means that we would need to navigate a complex analysis of Virginia colleges based on the accessibility to disability services, in addition to excellence and curricula. It could also mean that my family would likely have to pay out of pocket (again!) for expensive testing after waiting six months (or more) to be tested and another couple of months for results, which means my child could be a Sophomore in college before she would get dyslexia support. As a proud James Madison University graduate, I might have to focus our college search elsewhere based on the relatively abysmal rates of disability services at JMU versus Virginia Commonwealth University or Mary Washington. Obviously, this issue would apply to all learning disabilities, from ADHD to autism. Equally obvious is that some families cannot afford private testing which costs $500-2,500, and typically isn’t paid for by health insurance. This doesn’t even include more rural areas of Virginia where private testing may not be available! Ultimately, this means a lower likelihood of success in college and a greater likelihood that their child would need to drop out of college.  Fortunately, some thoughtful legislators, Delegate Laura Jane Cohen and Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, have brought forward bills HB509  and SB21 , respectively, in the General Assembly to ensure that students with Individualized Education Plans ( IEPs ) and 504 Plans ( 504s ) are treated equally by all Virginia colleges. As the Autism Society  states: This legislation ensures that students with disabilities will thrive in college. It would streamline the process of qualifying for disability services and require state-supported universities and colleges to accept various forms of documentation of a disability, including an Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Plan, notice from a doctor, or evaluation by a psychologist. Currently, many schools require a new evaluation by a psychologist.  This is important as significant barriers exist for students with disabilities when they enter college, and they need to obtain a new psychoeducational evaluation to receive accommodations in college courses. Unfortunately, some legislators lack the understanding of what IEPs and 504s mean to our students and families. Some also feel it necessary to degrade students by referring to “emotional support donkeys,” like Delegate Garett and Zehr  did last week, thereby suggesting a likelihood of fraud and abuse (without any evidence) by students with 504s and IEPs. I’m impressed by Delegate Cohen who responded to this repulsive comment with, “the specious argument of a support donkey is not particularly compelling in this case,” in other words, the scenario described by delegates Garett and Zehr is so ridiculous as to be false. Her grace in this situation demonstrates why I might not have the temperament to serve in the General Assembly, because I would have made a less "appropriate" comment about donkeys. Remind these legislators t hat about 94% of students with specific learning disabilities receive accommodations in high school, yet only 17% receive some kind of accommodation in college. Additionally, it is a struggle for many students to find information about the college accommodations process for disabilities, while significant numbers of students cannot afford to pay for an updated diagnosis. If a student had diabetes, no college would force them to take an expensive test to prove that they still needed their insulin, so why should an autistic or dyslexic student be treated any differently. Chronic health conditions require a lifetime of care and support. Every Virginia college should offer the same level of access to disability services for students with IEPs and 504s. By the time my daughter graduates from high school, she will have had her IEP for close to a  decade. I believe that her IEP shouldn’t end at a Virginia university door. Please fight for Virginia student’s access to equitable disability services at Virginia universities by writing to your delegate and senator:

February 3rd will end the third week of the 2024 Session of Virginia’s General Assembly. At the time of this writing, one priority education bill has cleared the Senate (SB14) and most of the other priority education bills 4 Public Education endorses are working their way through the committees. One of the bills we opposed (SJ9) was defeated. The early success this year is at least in part due to the vigorous support of these bills by public education advocates who have been contacting legislators in support of or in opposition to the bills. The current status of each priority education bill can be found at this link. Readers will continue to be emailed opportunities to advocate for those bills so get on our mailing list if you want to be contacted. Currently, we are sending out two notifications each week: an email early in the week and a link  in our newsletter on Friday. Each release of these calls to action contain new action items that are created when each bill changes status, and new groups of legislators need to be contacted. We want to be sure citizens know that if they believe that they have already addressed a call to action for a bill that they are seeing again, it is because the bill has advanced to a new committee or to the floor of the chamber. Changes happen frequently as bills work their way through the process; therefore, your advocacy is time sensitive, so timely notifications for when advocacy is needed for each bill will help get these bills passed or defeated. This is the link to the most up to date advocacy needs for the end of this week. Many of the bills currently being considered by the House of Delegates and State Senate are addressing recommendations made by the Joint Legislative and Audit and review Commission (JLARC) who have reported on the inadequate funding of our public schools and need to restore the teacher pipeline to resolve there not being enough well trained public school teachers in Virginia. Other priority education bills include those that call for the protection of our most vulnerable students and one for changing a policy to restorative instead of punitive discipline for less serious infractions. It won’t be long before we are addressing budget amendments in response to Governor Youngkin’s proposed 2024-2026 Budget. The House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee are working on those amendments, so 4 Public Education will share them when released by the House and Senate committees. Budget amendment bills use a slightly different process than legislative bills. The Budget amendment bills are proposed changes to the 2024 -2026 proposed budget that Governor Youngkin submitted to the legislature last fall. Any amendments to the budget bill will be brought to the floor of each chamber by their appropriations committee, where the bills will be debated and votes on the amendments will be taken. Any amendments passed will cross over to the other chamber where again the amendments will be debated and a vote will be taken. Ideally, this will all happen before the 2024 General Assembly adjourns, after a conference committee resolves any differences between the versions passed by the two chambers. Then the amended budget bill will go to the Governor for his signature. Of course, Virginia’s budget process rarely goes that smoothly. Last year, a special session of the General Assembly was needed to finalize amendments to the 2023-2024 budget, and a compromise budget bill wasn’t signed until September of that year. Because many public education advocates have objected to the 2024-2026 budget, there is probably much work to be done before this budget is finalized. 4 Public Education will provide calls to action for budget amendment bills so advocates can contact appropriation committee members to ensure that our public schools get the resources they need to provide excellent educations to our children and support teachers.

Last year, public education advocates were unsuccessful at getting the 2023 priority education bills passed in the General Assembly.  This was because the majority party in the House (GOP) tended to be less supportive of public education than the minority party (Democratic).  Although the Democratic members in the Senate were in the majority, bills could not advance that year because each bill must pass both chambers before they have a chance of being signed into law by the Governor.  The few education bills that were passed were weakened in their effectiveness because they were highly amended. This year, the Democrats hold the majority in both chambers so 4 Public Education is hopeful that many of the 2024 priority education bills will pass onto Governor Youngkin’s desk to be signed.  Public education advocates can help bills be successful by using the one-click calls  to action sent by 4 PE (see signup link in the last paragraph below to receive these alerts if you don't already) that help legislators know what the constituents want.  These tools that make advocacy easy are produced in collaboration with Network NOVA and Virginia Grassroots Coalition. It is too early to know if Governor Youngkin will sign or veto the education bills that make it through both chambers, but early indications are that he may be softening his stance on some education issues.  For example, there are bills based on recommendations in the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission (JLARC) reports that address the serious underfunding of Virginia’s public schools and the need to restore the teacher pipeline in Virginia.  Unfortunately, the chair of the Virginia Board of Education either has not read or does not believe the JLARC reports as she claims Virginia’s public schools are not underfunded. We hope that by now she has read the JLARC reports. The status of each of the 4 Public Education priority education bills can be monitored on the education bill tracker that is managed by the Virginia Grassroots Coalition.  That tracker provides links to the bills, the name of the chief patron and the status of the bill in the legislative process, and will eventually provide the outcome of the bill. Also, as indicated above, there is a link to the one-click call to action that education advocates can use to contact legislators and tell them how they should vote on specific bills. For those who want to receive notices when calls-to-action come out and when it is time to respond to them, please be sure you are on our email list and you will be sent these easy one-click tools for appropriate bill or bills.

Like many parents of high school seniors, my family has been knee deep in college applications since October. My son managed to meet all of the deadlines to request transcripts, request recommendations, and apply to colleges, but now we are in the next step: submitting financial aid forms. In fact, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) was the first thing on my list for 2024…and then my pen stopped working, which I’m hoping isn’t an omen. Applying for merit- and need-based aid has been trickier than expected, because the primary form used for all financial aid determinations, the FAFSA, was overhauled and thus was delayed until its “soft release” on New Year’s eve 2023. The “soft release” involved frustrated parents and students unable to access the form. I even joked with a friend that “soft release” may need to be defined as a failure, as in, “Hey mom, I soft released the cleanup of my room!” Cue: filthy room. It is now ten days after the soft release of FAFSA and things have improved, but many first-timers are confused about who needs to fill out the FAFSA and when to fill out the FAFSA, so I will provide some pointers for those who are brand new to FAFSA. Also refer to the FAFSA site , via FAFSA youtube videos , or on reddit (in the case of glitches) for more information. What is the FAFSA? It is the “ largest source of financial aid ” for students: scholarships, grants, work-study funds, and loans. Who must fill out the FAFSA? Anyone who is a potential “contributor”  which includes students, spouses, parents, stepparents, guardians, and anyone else with a potential financial role. This means each contributor must create an account . On a personal note, I mistakenly thought that FAFSA would send links to my spouse and son when I added their data to my form, but no, each contributor needs to initiate an account. Ask other contributors to create an account as soon as possible, because new accounts often require social security number verification that can take one to three days. (Yes, Virginia. This is a frustrating process.) When is the FAFSA due? As soon as possible. Each state or school may have their own deadline and FAFSA has a deadline , but experienced parents know that there is a finite amount of aid available, which means getting in your completed FAFSA form from all contributors should be a priority. Due to issues during the initial launch, they said they will not be releasing information to organizations until the end of January . As of January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education announced that over one million  2024-25 FAFSA forms had been submitted. What do I need to fill out the FAFSA? You need social security numbers of all contributors, 2022 tax forms, alimony and/or child support payments, financial documents showing balances and net worth (e.g., savings, checking, investments, businesses, secondary properties) from all contributors, and a little patience. The tax forms requested are from the last year filed (i.e., in 2024, it would be 2022 tax forms) and the financial documents are to be current. I’ve seen that they want you to report all monies, including assets “ stuffed in your mattress ,” which means you need to be honest and as complete as possible. Any contributor lacking a social security number can still create an account. How long does it take to fill out the FAFSA? About 10-20 minutes if you have all of your information at hand. For other contributors, it may take less time. Are there any glitches in the new form? Yes! The first glitch has been that the form has been occasionally inaccessible as they continue to work on it. This happened periodically, including the first three days and first weekend of the FAFSA release. The second major glitch is an account creation glitch, or as one college administrator called the “loop of doom.” Essentially, for some contributors, it will not let you add your address to create an account. If you add your address, it will loop back to the page as if you did something wrong. Kudos to my son for finding the reddit solution for this glitch , which involves deleting your address (and sometimes phone number) to create the account. Later on, there will be an opportunity to add contact information. A friendly parent from my high school just shared another major glitch: some contributors have been invited to fill out the form (by their student or another contributor), but when they go to their account, no form is to be found. To be honest, my spouse asked me about the same issue last night, so I'm "thrilled" to find out that it is just another glitch. Per a couple of reddit threads , it is a "known issue" where applications are not showing up in contributors' accounts even if the social security numbers match--of course, there is "no known timeframe of when this will be resolved." ( updated 11/11/24 ) I finally got through via FAFSA chat today regarding this last issue, the FAFSA representative said, "If you are unable to view any cases open in your activity, we would advise for the student to resubmit the parent invite. With the soft launch still in effect we are experiencing issues with the availability of the FAFSA form and we would advise to try again at a later time. This is currently something we are looking into, several have had the same issue. I would try to have your son initiate the invite on his portal to see if that makes a difference. We currently do not have a timeframe as to when all of these issues will be fully resolved, i apologize." (updated 1/12/24) DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE unless you record your financial data first. My entire FAFSA form was deleted by this process. If you choose to go this route, be sure to print out what you have already done to make it easier to re-enter all of the information. I'm still working out the kinks and will have another update soon. ( updated 1/14/24 ) How else do I apply for financial aid? Be aware that the FAFSA is not the only financial aid tool used by colleges. Check your colleges to see what other forms they may require. In the absence of the FAFSA’s availability  in 2023, a number of schools required the College Scholarship Service (CSS)  form to be submitted in addition to the FAFSA. However, most colleges have additional applications, essays, and requirements for various financial aid at their schools. In many cases, parents and guardians do not receive these notices, so check in with your Senior to see what has come into their email inbox. Thus far, the majority of my son’s colleges have required additional forms and information, including essays.  Final thoughts on college applications and financial aid forms: students are expected to be responsible for initiating and completing nearly all of the forms, except those outlined above. Nevertheless, most students will need both support and some reminders. Try to make this process as pleasant and collaborative as possible. Each family should recognize the extreme pressures on our kids to do school work and after school activities or work while dipping their toes in the adult world of forms, applications, and finances. National organizations , Virginia organizations like VirginiaCan  and GRASP , and school counselors are resources to help students who may have less support in the home. Also, many local high schools host FAFSA information sessions to explain how FAFSA works. In Fairfax, the College Partnership Program  has a program to support middle school students, to reduce barriers from accessing college.