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Henrico School Board reviews draft 2026 legislative priorities focused on funding, safety and local authority
Summary
Henrico County Public Schools staff presented draft 2026 legislative priorities urging targeted state funding for interventions, EL services, school safety and facility modernization, while emphasizing opposition to unfunded mandates and erosion of local board authority; board endorsed refining language and preparing testimony for the December adoption.
Henrico County Public Schools staff on Thursday presented draft 2026 legislative priorities that center on targeted state funding for academic supports, expanded English‑learner services, safer and modern school facilities, and efforts to recruit and retain teachers.
The priorities, presented by Ken Blackstone, assistant director of communications and the board’s legislative liaison, emphasize funding aligned with Virginia’s performance and support framework, more resources for interventions and tutoring, expanded dual‑enrollment pathways, and flexibility for assessments and modernized balanced assessment systems. Blackstone told the board staff will return a final draft for adoption at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Board members generally welcomed the direction. "We look forward to seeing what this new administration coming in would do to fully fund SOQ," said Mister Young, who asked staff to alert board members when time‑sensitive advocacy opportunities arise. Mister Irving urged that lawmakers raise teachers' pay to national averages and fully fund schools.
Miss Atkins recommended sharpening the language to make asks actionable and measurable, offering examples such as increased state funding for universal pre‑K and a 15% reduction in staffing gaps within two years as potential targets to consider. "We're transforming policy into actionable results for legislators," she said.
Mister Irving also raised policy concerns beyond the draft priorities, urging the board consider advocacy on restricting social media access for children under 16 and curbing gambling advertising aimed at young people; staff responded that the division can draft position statements and testimony on topics that arise during the session.
Why it matters: The priorities will shape HCPS’s formal testimony and contacts with the General Assembly, including requests for funding tied to the division’s Journey to 2030 strategic plan. Board members asked staff to provide specific, shareable language that delegates and advocates can use.
What’s next: Staff will incorporate board feedback and return a revised legislative priorities booklet for final adoption at the board’s Dec. 18 meeting. The division also offered to support testimony, including remote testimony at committee meetings.
