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On Monday, Governor Glenn Youngkin sent over 200 amendments to the 2024-2026 Biennial Budget Conference Report passed by the General Assembly last month House Bill 30 (Torian). These amendments will be considered by the the General Assembly at the Reconvene Session which will occur on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 beginning at noon. Each amendment must receive a simple majority vote in each chamber to be approved. The VSBA Government Relations team will continue to analyze the amendments provided by Governor Youngkin to the budget bill Conference Report and will provide additional updates on the biennial budget during and after next week's Reconvene Session. Below are amendments of interest from Governor Youngkin as they relate to the Conference Report. To view a complete listing of the amendments to the Conference Report proposed by Governor Youngkin, click here. To review the Conference Report passed by the General Assembly, click here. Education
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Department
of Education
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Amendment
44: Update Virginia Literacy Act funding
Item 117
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Department
of Education, Central Office Operations
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($1,500,000)
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($1,500,000)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment updates funding to implement a statewide literacy screener based on
estimated funding needed for this purpose.)
Amendment
45: Support new state assessment system requirements
Item 119
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Department
of Education, Central Office Operations
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$20,000,000
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$18,000,000
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides funding for the Department of Education to update the state
Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments pursuant to the recommendations of the
workgroup required by Chapter 760, 2022 Acts of the General Assembly, including
developing and administering constructive response questions aligned to the
SOLs, renewing the existing testing contract and replenishing existing test
items, and supporting student growth analysis.)
Amendment
46: Modify requirements related to community schools
Item 123
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Education
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Department
of Education
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Language
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Explanation:
(This
amendment clarifies requirements of the Department related to community
schools.)
Amendment
47: Remove additional support for Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and
Secondary
Education Funding
Item 123
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Department
of Education, Central Office Operations
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($300,000)
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($300,000)
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GF
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-2.00
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-2.00
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FTE
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Explanation:
(This
amendment removes funding and positions provided under the Department of
Education to support work of the legislative Joint Subcommittee on Elementary
and Secondary Education Funding.)
Amendment
48: Eliminate state support for 21st Century Community Learning Centers
program
Item 124
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($3,000,000)
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($2,000,000)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment eliminates general fund support to supplement the federal 21st
Century Community Learning Centers program.)
Amendment
52: Modify support for National Teacher Certification grants
Item 124
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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$0
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($500,000)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides an additional $500,000 general fund the first year for
incentive grants for teachers who are pursuing or have obtained a national
certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and
work in a Title 1 school or a school eligible for participation in the
Community Eligibility Provision.)
Amendment
53: Modify support for the Community Builders Program
Item 124
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($300,000)
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($100,000)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides $400,000 over the biennium to support the Community Builders
pilot program.)
Amendment
54: Remove support for Community Schools Development and Planning Grants
Item 124
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($2,500,000)
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($2,500,000)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment removes state support for Community Schools Development and
Implementation Planning Grants.)
Amendment
55: Eliminate conflicting language
Item 125
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Education
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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Language
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Explanation:
(This
amendment eliminates conflicting language for the definition of a College
Partnership Laboratory School, which is defined in § 22.1-349.1, Code of
Virginia.)
Amendment
56: Modify additional support for At-Risk Students
Item 125
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($82,894,326)
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($79,061,573)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides additional support for at-risk students of $98 million each
year over the 2024-2026 Introduced
budget by 1) reinstating the existing Prevention, Intervention, &
Remediation (PIR) Standards of Quality program and formula, including the SOQ
funded positions and the benefits, compensation supplement, and support cost
payments associated with those positions, 2) reinstating the existing At-Risk
Add-On program and formula as a Standards of Quality program, 3) increasing the
At-Risk Add-On minimum add-on percentage from 1.0 to 5.0 percent, and 4)
increasing the At-Risk Add-On maximum add-on percentage from 36.0 to 40.5
percent. Directs DOE to work with the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and
Secondary Education Funding to determine the impact of transitioning the
at-risk student proxy from the Free Lunch Percentage to the Identified Student
Percentage for all Direct Aid accounts and funding formulas that currently use
the free lunch proxy, and to determine the impact of eliminating the PIR
program and related staffing standard, prescribed by § 22.1-253.13:2, on
division funding and other Direct Aid accounts.)
Amendment
57: Modify English Language Learner staffing standard
Item 125
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($25,863,189)
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($21,094,068)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides the state share of funding to support 22 professional
instructional positions per 1,000 students identified as having limited English
proficiency. Additionally, requires the Department of Education to develop and
implement a data collection process related to English language learner
expenditures and student English proficiency levels and to provide
recommendations to the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education
Funding for alternative staffing ratios to support English language learners,
including the estimated state fiscal impact of those recommendations, based on
actual data that identifies the English proficiency level for each English
language learner.)
Amendment
58: Modify support for the School Breakfast program
Item 125
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($1,205,023)
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($1,332,564)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment provides additional support of $1.2 million general fund the first
year and $1.3 million general fund the second year to increase the per meal
reimbursement amount from $0.22 to $0.25 for the state funded incentive program
to maximize federal school nutrition revenues and increase participation in the
school breakfast program.)
Amendment
59: Provide Literary Fund support for retirement and school construction
Item 125
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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$0
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($150,000,000)
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GF
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$0
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$150,000,000
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NGF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment supports a portion of public school employee retirement contributions
with funds derived from the principal of the Literary Fund and designates
$175.0 million in FY 2025 in Literary Fund support for additional school
construction loans.)
Amendment
60: Update sales tax revenues for public education
Item 125
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($47,617,137)
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($121,114,157)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment updates sales tax revenues for public education as a result of
eliminating the sales tax expansion.)
Amendment
61: Support continued access to Early Childhood Care and Education
Item 125.10
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Education
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FY 24 -25
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FY 25 -26
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Direct Aid
to Public Education
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($42,941,429)
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($50,225,711)
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GF
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Explanation:
(This
amendment updates funding and requirements for early childhood care and
education programs, including removing the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI)
cap on the local composite index, restoring estimated VPI participation to a
level supported by current and projected demand, removing assumed revenues from
taxes on marijuana sales, and reducing the assumption of new slots for the
Child Care Subsidy Program to 500 in FY26.)
