RICHMOND, Va. — Delegate Mundon King, co-chair of the subcommittee on education, told the joint subcommittee on Jan. 6 that students with disabilities were among those most affected by the pandemic and recommended submitting budget language to fully fund upgrades to the state’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) systems.

"The recommendation to . . . fully fund the new IEP programs that went into effect, through legislation last year is one of the ways that I think we can be prepared for students with disabilities, should a pandemic happen in the future. And so this is at a cost of $8,700,000," Delegate Mundon King said.

The subcommittee chair and staff said the Department of Education had proposed reforms and system upgrades; committee members noted the department requested funding that did not all make it into the governor’s recommended budget. One participant noted the General Assembly provided $4,000,000 in the prior year and that the additional funding requested was not included in the governor’s recommendation.

Members said the budget language will be advanced as a recommendation of the joint subcommittee; final funding depends on the separate budget and appropriations process. Delegate Mundon King said he planned to file an amendment to include that budget language during the regular budget process.

The joint subcommittee approved Subcommittee 3’s package, including the budget-language recommendation, on a roll-call vote recorded as 13 ayes, 0 no. Committee staff and members will circulate drafts and seek patrons to carry the related bills and budget amendments into the General Assembly process.