From the Commonwealth Institute. So much for THAT supposedly great accomplishment this past session of the Virginia General Assembly.
RICHMOND, VA – The budget recently agreed to by the Virginia House and Senate boosts support for preK-12 schools after many years of significant cuts made during the recession. Unfortunately, the investments restore proportionately less funding for school divisions in high-poverty areas compared to divisions in better off areas.
Since many of the investments in the new budget are made outside the funding formula, they are not locked in for future years and some are not distributed based on local ability to pay, which would help target higher-poverty areas.
“Lawmakers should fix the changes made to the state’s funding formula during the recession to help ensure that school divisions benefit more proportionately to the cuts they received,” says Chris Duncombe, a policy analyst with the Institute and author of the study. “That way, the state would put money back into the school divisions in the same way that they took it out and put Virginia on track for more appropriate long-term funding.”
The full report, Missing the Mark in School Support, is available online at www.thecommonwealthinstitute.org.