Edit: 2026-08-24_Meeting_with_Spotsylvania_Schools

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= 2026-08-24 Meeting with Spotsylvania Schools = MEMORANDUM To: Delegate Cole From: Eric Sundberg Re: Spotsylvania County Public Schools — 2026 General Assembly Response == Executive Overview == Spotsylvania County Public Schools asked the General Assembly to act on school funding, accountability, teacher recruitment and retention, student wellness and safety, and technology access. The 2026 General Assembly made meaningful progress in each of these areas. This provides a direct response to the Superintendent's question: “Tell us what you all have done for us.” At the same time, several SCPS priorities state a desired outcome without identifying the specific law, regulation, budget item, or policy that should change. Going forward, more specific requests would allow the delegation to spend more time advocating for SCPS proposals and less time determining what the proposal itself should be. == What the General Assembly Did in 2026 == School funding * Provided approximately $11.7 billion in state Direct Aid to Public Education in FY2027 and $11.6 billion in FY2028. * Continued substantial At-Risk funding targeted toward divisions serving higher-need students. * Provided approximately $219 million in FY2027 and $225 million in FY2028 for English Learner teachers. * Provided $384 million in FY2027 and $135 million in FY2028 for school construction assistance. * Continued funding mechanisms recognizing Spotsylvania's higher regional labor costs. Teacher recruitment and retention * Funded the state share of a 4% salary increase in FY2027 and another 4% in FY2028 for funded instructional and support positions. * Expanded teacher-pipeline initiatives, including interstate teacher mobility, alternative licensure reforms, and additional teacher scholarship support. Accountability and accreditation * HB 643 directly addressed several concerns raised by SCPS regarding the new accountability system. * The legislation requires consideration of replacing current performance terminology, including the “Off Track” framework. * It requires student growth to receive at least equal weight with proficiency and directs additional changes involving English Learners and the 3E Readiness framework. This is one of the clearest examples of a SCPS priority receiving a direct legislative response. Mental health and school safety * Provided $12 million annually for school-security equipment grants. * Expanded permissible uses of At-Risk funding for counselors, nurses, behavioral specialists, and physical and mental-health initiatives. * Enacted legislation concerning wearable panic alarms, school-security personnel and training, mental-health awareness, and student mental-health screening. Technology * Continued substantial educational-technology and infrastructure funding, including support for instructional technology, digital systems, and broadband programs. == Developing More Actionable Legislative Priorities == A recurring challenge in the current SCPS document is that several priorities identify what SCPS wants to accomplish without identifying what the General Assembly is being asked to change. Staff can research and develop legislation, but we should not have to infer the underlying request. For example, SCPS asks the delegation to: - “Advocate at the state and federal level for an updated state funding formula in alignment with the 2023 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study.” That raises several unanswered questions. Which JLARC recommendations does SCPS want implemented? The 2023 JLARC report contains numerous separate proposals involving staffing ratios, salary assumptions, at-risk funding, labor-cost adjustments, the Local Composite Index, and potentially an entirely different student-based funding formula. These proposals carry dramatically different fiscal impacts. The report primarily concerns Virginia's state and local K-12 funding system, so it is also unclear what specific federal action SCPS is requesting. A stronger priority would identify: * the specific JLARC recommendation; * the existing formula or budget provision to be changed; * the proposed replacement; * its estimated impact on Spotsylvania; and * the amount of additional state funding requested. Several other priorities need similar development. Federal mandates * Which federal mandates are underfunded? What do they cost SCPS? How much federal and state funding is currently provided, and what remaining amount is SCPS asking Virginia to fund? High-Quality Work-Based Learning * “Fully fund staffing” does not identify the requested staffing model. SCPS should specify the number or ratio of positions needed and the requested state appropriation. Professional development flexibility * Which VDOE professional-development requirement should be changed? Is SCPS requesting elimination, fewer required hours, waiver authority, or greater local discretion? "Grow Your Own" Programs * What program does SCPS want funded, how many participants would it serve, and how much state funding is requested? Mental-health professionals * SCPS should identify its current counselor, psychologist, and social-worker staffing; the desired staffing ratios; the number of additional positions needed; and the state funding required. Security technology * “Advanced threat detection technology” should be defined. SCPS should identify the equipment sought, affected schools, expected cost, and whether it wants an expansion of an existing grant program or creation of a new one. ADA and indoor air quality * The document refers to “recent legislation” without identifying the legislation, new requirements, affected facilities, necessary improvements, or their cost. Broadband and digital resources * SCPS should identify the actual remaining gap: school connectivity, household broadband, hotspots, student devices, software, cybersecurity, technical staff, or another need. == Recommended Format for Future SCPS Requests == For each legislative priority, we should ask SCPS to provide six things: 1. Current policy: What law, regulation, requirement, or budget provision governs the issue? 2. Problem: What specifically is not working? 3. Requested change: What exactly should be different? 4. Vehicle: Does this require legislation, a budget amendment, VDOE action, Board of Education action, or federal action? 5. Local impact: How does the problem affect Spotsylvania? 6. Fiscal request: What does SCPS need and how much will it cost? SCPS does not need to draft statutory language. Our office and Legislative Counsel can do that. We do, however, need to know what we are asking Legislative Counsel to change. == Takeaways == There is a substantial answer to the Superintendent's question about what the General Assembly accomplished in 2026. The next step should be to work with SCPS before session to turn broad objectives such as “fully fund,” “increase support,” “provide flexibility,” or “implement JLARC” into defined bills and budget requests. For every priority, the delegation should be able to answer: * What is wrong now? * What exactly does SCPS want changed? * What do they want us to introduce or fund? The clearer those answers are before session begins, the more effectively we can pursue them.

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