The Senate Finance and Appropriations released its approved amendments to its budget bill, SB 800 (Howell and Barker). The following selected list of amendments were made to the K-12 portion of the budget. For the entire package of amendments adopted by the committee, click here.
Item 128 #1s- This amendment defers funding from the introduced budget for positions at the Secretary of Education's Office to support other public education initiatives.
Item 129 #1s- This amendment provides $6.7 million the second year from the general fund to implement the expansion of the Virginia Literacy Act from grades K-3 to grades K-8. These funds specifically are provided to support additional literacy coaches, development of a literacy screener for use in grades 4-7, professional development, and review of curriculum materials. In addition, the amendment restructures the existing language to delineate one-time versus ongoing costs associated with this initiative. Finally, the amendment ensures that all regional literacy coaches are licensed reading specialists.
Item 136 #6s- This amendment provides $8.9 million GF the second year to increase the National Board Certification Incentive bonus to $7,500 every year for the award to teachers. The current bonus is $2,500. It also allows funds to be used for candidates seeking certification.
Item 136 #11s- This amendment redirects funding in the introduced budget for performance bonuses to other public education initiatives.
Item 137 #1s- This amendment provides $270.6 million GF the second year to increase the number of support positions by removing the standard used in Chapter 2, 2022 Special Session I.
Item 137 #2s- This amendment provides $27.5 million the second year from general fund to provide one reading specialist per 550 students in grades six through eight. The adopted budget funds reading specialists at the same ratio in kindergarten through third grade, and the introduced budget would fund reading specialists at the same ratio in fourth and fifth grade. Existing language provides flexibility to permit school divisions to meet the ratio using other staff who are working toward meeting the training and licensure requirements for reading specialists that become effective for the 2024-2025 school year.
Item 137 #3s- This amendment provides additional, temporary funding of $38.6 million GF the second year for a subset of schools accredited with conditions to hire instructional assistants at a ratio of one assistant per 20 students in schools that do not meet three or more of the Board of Education's performance benchmarks for school accreditation. These positions are intended to (i) help teachers provide small group and individualized instruction necessitated by widening academic needs within classrooms, (ii) help teachers manage challenging student behaviors within classrooms, and (iii) reduce teacher workloads. This is a recommendation from JLARC's 2022 study: "Pandemic Impact on Public K-12 Education.
Item 137 #5s- This amendment redirects funding in the introduced budget for a one percent retention bonus to support other initiatives in public education.
Item 137 #7s- This amendment provides an additional $116.8 million in the second year from the general fund to support a total salary increase of seven percent effective July 1, 2024. This is an additional 2.0 percent increase from the 5.0 increase provided in Chapter 2, Special Session 1 of the General Assembly.
Item 137 #8s- This amendment provides $58.1 million GF the first year for a hold harmless payment to cover the identified error in the Direct Aid calculator tool from the Supplemental Supplemental General Fund Payment in Lieu of Sales Tax on Food and Personal Hygiene and Basic Aid offset. These funds represent the total impact to divisions in fiscal year 2023.
Item 137 #9s- This amendment redirects funding for lab schools to hold local school divisions harmless for the Grocery Sales tax error in the calculator tool in FY 2023. Adjustments made to the fund include a companion amendment to reduce funding for lab schools to $5.0 million.
Item 137 #10s- This amendment redirects funding for the lab school initiative to support other initiatives related to public education. The funding reduction to $5.0 million reflects the reduction in a companion amendment.
Item 137 #11s- This amendment provides $56.9 million GF the second year to fund the state's share of four specialized support positions per 1,000 students.
Item 137 #12s- This amendment provides $37.1 million the second year from the general fund to increase the At-Risk Add-On maximum from 36.0 percent to 40.0 percent in FY 2024.
Item 137 #13s- This amendment provides $24.3 million the second year from general fund to increase the ratio of English Language Learner positions from 20 per 1,000 students to 24 per 1,000 students.
Item 137 #14s- This amendment provides $140.4 million GF in FY 2024 to fund a bonus of $1,000 to instructional and support positions. There is no required local match.
Item 4-14 #2s- This amendment authorizes all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed one percent with the revenue used only for capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools if such levy is approved in a voter referendum.
