Reading VEA’s Report Card
VEA’s priority issues are listed across the top of each chart. A composite indicator was calculated reflecting each legislator’s votes on bills included within each priority area. A green check mark means the legislator supported this priority by voting with VEA on the included bills; a red X means they did not vote in support of this priority. An overall average, across all priority bills, is also given in the ‘2024 Score’ column. Extra credit was awarded to legislators who patroned high priority bills and/or otherwise demonstrated strong advocacy for public education this session.
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2024 LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD
VEA’s Legislative Priorities
From the 2024 General Assembly Session
Implement and fund 2023 JLARC recommendations. JLARC’s report on the state’s K-12 funding formula found that Virginia is chronically underfunding schools and offered near- and longterm recommendations to strengthen the formula. Implementing and fully funding the near-term recommendations was a top-tier issue for VEA and our partners this legislative session. Numerous bills were filed, few survived, and Governor Youngkin ultimately vetoed those that had. The summary indicator includes votes on HB359, HB360, HB624, HB825, SB105, SB128, SB227, SB228, and SB609.
Teacher salaries to national average. It is a codified (and thus far, unmet) goal of the Commonwealth to compensate public school teachers at or above the national average teacher salary. This year two bills that would have set Virginia on a path to reach the national teacher pay average by the 2027-28 school year passed each chamber by a bipartisan super-majority but were ultimately vetoed by Governor Youngkin, despite our schools now facing crisis-level teacher shortages. The summary indicator reflects votes on these two bills, HB187 and SB104.
Improve staffing ratios and support for EL students. This category summarizes efforts to improve staffing ratios for school counselors (HB181), specialized support positions (HB386), and EL instructors (HB1247, SB272). HB181 and HB386 were continued to 2025 by the House Education Committee and thus are included in the summary indicator only on the House side. HB1247 and SB272, providing ratios of EL teachers based on students’ English proficiency levels, passed and were signed into law.
Community schools. Community schools offer integrated health and social supports, enriched learning time and opportunities, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership and practices, and have a proven track record of improving student outcomes. This session, HB625 and SB608 passed both chambers and were signed into law, thus establishing the Office of Community Schools within VDOE to support the development and growth of community schools throughout the state.
School construction. Nine localities in VA have the authority to impose a 1% sales tax through referendum to raise revenue for school construction. Many bills were filed this year on behalf of other localities seeking that authority. All such bills were incorporated in HB805 and SB14, both of which would have authorized all localities to impose (by referendum) a 1% sales tax upon themselves to raise revenue for school construction. Both bills passed with bipartisan supermajority support and were subsequently vetoed.
Common sense firearm storage. The bills included in this category are all common sense gun storage and education measures designed to protect children from accidentally gaining access to firearms; just two (HB36, SB44) avoided the governor’s veto. These bills create a Class 5 felony for enabling a child to gain possession of a firearm. The vetoed bills would have required firearms and ammunition to be stored in a locked container in homes where a minor is present (HB183, SB368) and required local school boards to annually notify parents of their legal responsibility to safely store firearms and of the risks associated with improper storage (HB498, SB225).
Opposes censorship. HB571 and SB235 sought to clarify that a 2022 law concerning parental notification of instructional material that includes sexually explicit content could not be construed to permit the censoring of books in public school libraries (as some school boards in the state have been doing). These bills passed both chambers and were summarily vetoed by the governor.
Restorative discipline. HB398 and SB586 sought to require schools to attempt evidence-based restorative disciplinary practices prior to resorting to suspension or expulsion for certain non-violent offenses. These bills were vetoed by the governor.
Mental health education. HB603 requires health instruction for Virginia’s K-12 students to include topics related to mental health including self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, signs of common mental health challenges, and strategies for coping with stress and negative feelings. This bill was signed into law.
