VEA Applauds Historic K-12 Investments in Virginia’s Conference Budget, Calls for Continued Commitment to Fully Funding Public Schools

February 21, 2025

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) commends the General Assembly for delivering a strong, pro-education budget that prioritizes Virginia’s students, educators, and public schools. The Conference Budget, crafted by House and Senate leaders, includes major investments in K-12 education—funding that reflects the hard work of educators, parents, and advocates who have fought for these essential resources.

“This budget represents an incredible step forward for Virginia’s public schools,” said VEA President Carol Bauer. “For years, we’ve fought to eliminate the harmful support cap, secure adequate funding for special education students, and ensure that our educators are valued. Legislators have responded by fully lifting the support cap, increasing special education funding, and providing bonuses for teachers and staff on top of the state portion of a 3% raise effective July 1, 2025. These are victories for every student and educator in the Commonwealth.”

Key K-12 Investments in the Conference Budget:

Lifting the Support Cap: An additional $223 million per year to fully eliminate the outdated and harmful cap that restricted funding for vital school support staff.
Special Education Add-On: A new $53 million annual investment to better support students with disabilities, establishing a funding mechanism that can grow in future budgets.
Teacher and Staff Bonuses: The budget includes the state’s share of funding for one-time $1,000 bonuses for teachers and other SOQ-funded school staff, providing much-needed recognition for their hard work.
Targeted Math Support: $12 million of new funding is provided to improve student performance in math, helping address some of the worst pandemic-related learning loss in the country and ensuring Virginia students receive the resources they need to succeed.

The General Assembly’s commitment to public education stands in stark contrast to Governor Youngkin’s initial budget proposal, which included far less for K-12 schools and prioritized tax cuts over classroom funding. Instead, the legislature rejected the Governor’s school privatization efforts and ensured that public dollars stayed in public schools, where they belong.

The Work Ahead: Protecting Virginia’s Schools from Federal Funding Threats

While this budget makes significant strides, Virginia’s schools face new and serious challenges in the year ahead. The federal government provides billions in critical funding for public schools and proposed cuts from national leaders could devastate Virginia’s education system. Recent analysis from the VEA found that eliminating key federal education programs could result in the loss of nearly 9,000 teacher jobs statewide.

“The fight for full and fair education funding doesn’t stop with this budget,” added Bauer. “As we face looming threats to federal education funding, Virginia must remain steadfast in fully funding our public schools and ensuring no student is left behind. This is a moment to build upon—not retreat from—our progress.”

VEA urges Governor Youngkin to sign the budget without delay and calls on lawmakers to remain focused on the work ahead. With the state set to review its K-12 funding formula and assessment system in the coming year, the next budget must include new investments to ensure every Virginia student has access to a fully funded, high-quality education.

Did you Know?

Teacher shortages are a serious issue across the country. Here in Virginia, there are currently over 3,648 unfilled teaching positions. (FY23)

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