Senate education subcommittee reviews SB 30 K–12 proposal with $678 million general fund increase
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Summary
Committee staff briefed the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Education Subcommittee on the governor's introduced budget (SB 30), which proposes a $678 million general‑fund increase to K–12 direct aid, additions to school construction funding, and targeted Department of Education investments.
Members of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee's Education Subcommittee heard a staff presentation on the governor's introduced education budget (SB 30) in Richmond. A committee staff member said the introduced budget "proposes amendments to direct aid that total net increase of $678,000,000 from the general fund and $548,000,000 non general fund." The briefing served as a refresher before the subcommittee considers member amendments.
Staff highlighted specific investments within the direct‑aid totals, including roughly $579 million for biannual re‑benchmarking and technical costs and a proposed $382,900,000 general‑fund biennial appropriation to support a 2% compensation increase each year for instructional and support positions. The presenter also described a $285,000,000 biennial transfer that would supplant a like amount of general fund with Literary Fund dollars to support teacher retirement costs.
School construction received separate attention. The staff said the introduced package includes about $299,000,000 in additional non‑general fund support for school construction and that the school construction investment "reflects an additional $127,000,000 of actual and projected casino revenue" alongside a $172,000,000 appropriation from the Literary Fund for school construction grants. The presenter also addressed confusion about the school construction assistance program, saying the proposed language "clarifies who is eligible to receive assistance from that" existing program.
The Department of Education line items totaled about $6.7 million in new or expanded support, according to staff. The briefing listed $1,000,000 each year for ongoing IEP system enhancements, $2,400,000 in the first year to extend the statewide assessment contract, and a proposed increase of $2,200,000 each year and 27 positions for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind to support enrollment growth.
Staff noted that nonparticipation savings from the Virginia Preschool Initiative would be redirected to create additional birth‑to‑5 slots in the childcare subsidy program. The presentation also included proposed language amendments to encourage timely submission of annual school reports used for re‑benchmarking and other technical calculations.
No members raised questions after the presentation. The subcommittee paused to review member‑proposed amendments and is expected to take further action as the committee processes the full budget package.
