Budget & Revenue
State K-12 Funding in Virginia: Incremental Progress and Opportunity for Long-Term Solutions
The budget deal struck by state lawmakers on May 30, 2018 was rightly celebrated for extending health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, investing in mental health services and K-12 education, and boosting reserves that had been depleted during the recession.
Session 2018: Key Budget Policy Choices
Special Session: Comparing the governor’s, House, and General Assembly budgets to the FY 2018 budget With no agreement on the...
A Tax System for Yesterday: Slow Revenue Growth amid Economic Change
Virginia’s current revenue system isn’t keeping up with changes and growth in the overall economy, and that’s putting the future prosperity of families and businesses at risk.
Building Opportunity: A Toolkit for Virginia’s Future
Download a pdf of the full report Additional Resources for using Toolkit:...
Demonstrated Harm
Reduced state investment in public schools in Virginia since the recession has significantly impacted day-to-day operations in schools all over the Commonwealth. Schools have been forced to eliminate teachers and instructional specialists, place increasing responsibilities on teachers, reduce critical support positions such as nurses and school counselors, not keep pace with the changing language needs of students, eliminate student clubs and shorten afterschool programs, and allow facilities to deteriorate and fall into disrepair.
Session 2017: Key Budget Policy Choices
Key proposed changes to the enacted budget, Ch. 780 click image for pdf...
Trouble in the Commonwealth
Virginia’s schools, nursing homes, and local governments are facing another round of financial uncertainty as state policy makers debate how to fund these key priorities in the face of lower-than-expected revenue. And that’s just the short term. Looking over the longer term, Virginia’s revenue—the state’s ability to invest in schools, health care, and everything else that builds the foundation of strong communities—isn’t keeping up with the growing needs of a growing state.
Weighing Support for Virginia’s Students
Virginia’s state support for students from families that struggle economically lags behind many other states and behind what research shows is needed to provide these students with the same opportunities to be successful in the classroom as their financially more secure peers.
Missing the Mark in School Support
Virginia’s Senate and House approved a two-year budget that takes an important step forward by partially restoring support for public schools after many years of significant cuts. Unfortunately, the legislature did not appropriately target the help to school divisions in high-poverty communities that sustained the largest cuts.