Video from the discussion can be accessed HERE
HENRICO, Va. — Parents, teachers, legislators and school board members came together at the Sandston Library on Monday, Oct. 21, to discuss K-12 education funding needs for the Greater Richmond Region.
The discussion, hosted by Freedom Virginia, included Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico), Delegate Mike Jones (D-Richmond), Henrico County School Board Chair Alicia Atkins, Henrico County School Board Member Madison Irving, parents and a teacher from the Greater Richmond Region.
In 2023, the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) reported that the K-12 Virginia public education system is facing a $3.5 billion funding shortfall. Meanwhile, teachers receive salaries that fall below the national average, and students receive 14% less in state funding than the national average.
“I would echo JLARC. I have a lot of trust in what JLARC puts forward,” said Kelley Marlin, a Chesterfield County Public Schools parent. “Even if we had a record amount [of funding] last year, we’re not there yet – our state has not funded K-12 education as it should since 2008. How are our students supposed to be prepared to take on the academic rigor of college if we’re starving them of their resources?”
“How do I tell [my students] that I want to give you the best education possible when I don’t have the tools or the resources to do it, but this school all the way across the county does?” said Julie Hedrick, a Hanover County Public Schools teacher. “The inequality of it all, it doesn’t make any sense. Students see it; they see it as clearly as we do whether they know what it is or not.”
The report recommended increasing teacher salaries, reducing class sizes, hiring more support staff and ensuring rural and lower-income schools receive adequate funding for students to succeed.
“I just had this conversation while canvassing – I talked to a mom who is also a teacher, and she had an interesting perspective,” said Delegate Willett. “Her kids went to western Henrico schools, and they had additional resources. They had money through PTA for those resources. She teaches here in the east end, and they don’t have that, so she pays for a lot out of her pocket. It’s all the same county, but there’s a difference.”
“Fully fund schools,” said Henrico County School Board Chair Alicia Atkins. “When you take a look at areas that have high economically disadvantaged families, high needs around special education and the services that are necessary for IEPs and 504s, fully fund schools.”
The 2024-2026 biennial state budget made record investments in K-12 education after the governor’s initial proposal to cut school funding was defeated. Over $1 billion will be allocated to K-12 schools over the next two years, including a 3% pay increase for school employees each year. Despite the historic investment, schools still need help maintaining staff, meeting accreditation standards, and making necessary improvements.
“Did anybody know that playgrounds count towards a school’s accreditation, and yet we receive no money for them,” said Henrico County School Board Member Madison Irving. “PTAs feel an overwhelming pressure to fund playgrounds for students – when really if that’s going to be an accreditation standard, it should fall on the state to give money to the localities to provide something that if we don’t meet, we suffer penalties for.”
“The reality is you shouldn’t have to choose between facilities and safe and clean environments,” said Delegate Jones. “What are we doing to address some of those issues and some of those challenges – that’s what I’m trying to look at from the 30,000 foot purview of the General Assembly.”
In 2024, the General Assembly passed legislation that would empower localities to ask voters if they wanted to invest in an additional 1% in sales tax that would generate revenue to fund school construction and modernization; however, the effort was vetoed by Governor Youngkin.
“My kids span 20 years in Richmond Public Schools, and nothing has changed,” said Tonia Emanuel, a Richmond City Public Schools parent. “I’m disappointed because I moved to another side of town that is supposed to be more economically well-to-do so you think there will be better schools, but it shouldn’t be that way. It should be equal across the board.”
“I’ve seen the decline in my children,” said Tanya Simms, a Richmond City Public Schools parent. “Our children are suffering, and we’re suffering because we can’t help our children.”
Full video from the discussion can be accessed HERE
