La Petite Academy, which sits on Lake Powell Road off of Route 199, was recognized for its quality and commitment to young children, according to a news release from the school.

“Virginians collectively owe more than $30 billion dollars in student loan debt,” said Delegate Simon. “This is creating a crisis that is hampering our Virginia economy. Interest payments are preventing our young people from buying homes, forming households and making significant purchases. We’ve studied the issue thoroughly. Now is the time for action. I look forward to the support of my colleagues across the aisle for these proposals, which will boost our economy and build our local communities.”

Simon’s proposal to create a Student Loan Debt Refinancing Authority was referred to the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), Virginia 529 and the Virginia Treasury for further study during the 2016 session.

Surovell, a Democrat from Mount Vernon whose 36th District includes part of Stafford County, said higher education is due for a shakeup in the wake of the discovery that the University of Virginia set aside $2.2 billion for strategic investments, which former board member Helen Dragas called a “slush fund.”

“The situation with U.Va. squirreling away $2 billion has gotten the attention of the legislators,” he said. “Higher education will be in discussion this session.”

He’s sponsoring a bill that would require board of visitors members in leadership roles, such as rector and vice rector, to be residents of Virginia.

The high court will hear arguments Wednesday in what experts say is the most important special education case to come before the justices in almost 25 years. The case, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, will revisit the knotty question of what quality of education school districts must provide their disabled students.

1. In your opinion, how much does the amount of money spent on the public schools affect the quality of students' education – a great deal, quite a lot, not too much, or not at all?
   
2. Overall, do you think the funding for public schools in Virginia is enough to meet their needs, or not enough to meet their needs?
   
3. Would you be willing or not willing to pay higher taxes so that school funding could be increased?
   
4. [ Asked of those who said "willing" in response to question 3]  What kind of tax increase do you think would be best – sales tax, income tax, real estate property tax, or personal property tax?
   
5. As I mention a few areas that receive money from the state government, tell me if you would be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes in order to keep the program going at its current level. [ Programs = a. Public schools; b. Mental health services; c. Universities and higher education; Programs for workforce training and development; Programs for aid to low-income families; Transportation]  Would you be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes in order to keep this program going at its current level?
   
6. One of the ongoing policy challenges is low-performing schools. Would you be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes in order to provide additional resources to high-poverty, low-performing schools that are working to increase student performance?
   
7. [ Asked of those who said "willing" in response to question 6] Which of the following would be the best use of the increased resources? [ Options offered = a. Increasing teacher pay; Hiring more school counselors to provide support to students; Increasing mental health support services for students; Increasing support for community programs that share strategies with parents about improving student achievement]

1. Would you favor or oppose changing the Virginia constitution in order to give charter schools more independence from local school boards on decisions about hiring and firing teachers in charter schools?
   
2. Do you think that teachers who are working in low performing schools that do not meet Virginia’s accreditation standards should be paid (MORE) than teachers working in fully accredited schools, should be paid (LESS), or should be paid about the same?
   
3. There are increasing opportunities for students to earn high school credits online over the Internet. Even if you do not currently have kids, would you be willing to have your child earn ALL of their high school credits online, just some or none at all?
   
4. Policymakers are considering various ways to align high school learning with the needs of employers. One proposal is to have students focus on general academic skills in early high school, and classes focused on their desired career in later grades. Would you favor or oppose organizing education in Virginia public high schools this way?
   
5. In general, do you feel the public schools in your community are very safe, safe, not very safe, not at all safe?
   

If you haven't already, remember to check Dr. Vacca's January Education Law newsletter, which focuses on legal parameters of school funding. That Education Law newsletter is available here. 

The legislation finally found success in the House of Delegates in 2012, but then was defeated on party line votes for several years in the Senate Education and Health Committee. The legislation cleared the General Assembly for the first time in 2015, and then again in 2016.

Both years, the legislation was derailed by the governor, who in his veto explanation stated, “Allowing home-schooled students to participate in interscholastic competitions would disrupt the level playing field Virginia’s public schools have developed over the past century…opening participation in those competitions to individuals who are not required to satisfy the same criteria upends Virginia’s extracurricular framework and codifies academic inequality in interscholastic competition.”

Coverage of the Pros and Cons: In past years, debate of similar bills have produced media coverage, including several who interviewed CEPI’s founder, Dr. Bill Bosher. Several are linked here for reference:

• Longman, Jere. “ Home-Schoolers Are Hoping to Don Varsity Jackets in Virginia,” The New York Times, Feb. 8, 2012
• Bohon, Dave. “ Virginia’s “Tebow Law” Would Give Home Schoolers Access to Public School Athletics,” The New American, February 20, 2012.

What the public thinks: In 2013-14, our poll found strong support for the concept embedded in the Tebow Bill, with 72% of Virginians favoring a policy that allows students who are homeschooled to participate on local public school sport teams.

There was some degree of regional variation in this support, however, with a greater portion of respondents (81%) from the South Central region favoring such a policy. By contrast, support in the West (67%) and Northwest (66%) regions was more limited. The results in 2013-14 were very similar to the findings when the same question was asked in our 2012-13 poll. Such stability, absent new polling data to the contrary, suggests that public support for the concept is still likely to be strong.

Likely outcome in 2017: Not much has changed in the political landscape on this issue. Hence, passage by both sides of the General Assembly and a third veto of the legislation by the Governor seems the most likely outcome at this time.

HB 1490 would allow a school board member who cannot serve due to being called for military service to designate someone to perform the duties of such office as acting school board member during the time of the member’s military service.

HB 1498 would reduce maximum class sizes in kindergarten from 29 to 28, from 30 to 28 in grades 1-3 and from 35 to 29 in grades 4-6.