1. Provide Additional In-Classroom Supports for Teachers

Virginia needs to increase funding for in-classroom instructional support positions and provide teachers with additional resources to meet the needs of students with challenging behavior needs. Virginia should look at removing support positions from underneath the cap that provide direct services to students. These positions should include school psychologists and other positions that support the behavioral health needs of students, and technology instruction and support positions.

2. SOQ and Accreditation Flexibility

In order for schools to become accredited, they must meet certain standards and benchmarks. However, schools are also required to meet specific staffing ratios through the SOQs. These requirements do not always translate into better test scores, or college and career readiness. Virginia should set the standards allowing flexibility for school divisions to meet those standards based upon individual students’ needs. The General Assembly should not hamstring student achievement by controlling the inputs as well as the outputs.

3. College and Career Readiness

Schools that are meeting and/or exceeding state standards should be provided with even greater flexibility on various standards to allow students to further begin exploring career fields. Schools will still be required to meet certain accreditation requirements, but the focus should be on student achievement.

4. Full Funding for the Standards of Quality (SOQ)

Prince William County Public Schools urges the Virginia legislature to consider and provide for the actual cost of meeting SOQ requirements, not just the minimum assumed to be necessary by the state.

Therefore, the Prince William County School Board supports legislation that would provide full funding for implementing the SOQ, including the cost of support personnel, and not divert public resources away from public education.

5. Remove Attendance Requirements for Accreditation

The Prince William County School Board supports legislation that removes attendance under 8VAC20-131-380 as a measurement of School Quality for Accreditation.

Establishing absent students as a measure of accreditation as defined as “those who are enrolled in a given school who miss 10% or more of the school year, regardless of reason” unfairly discriminates against schools with high transient minority populations, at-risk students, and working students. This places an unfunded mandate on schools who must utilize resources for attendance compliance tracking.

6. Teacher Salary Increases and Cost-Of-Competing Allocation (COCA)

Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers is essential to meeting federal, state, and local academic benchmarks, and to serving student needs. To compete for the best and brightest educators, PWCS and other area school divisions need the Commonwealth of Virginia to increase funding for the state’s share of teacher salaries and benefits, as well as those for other support staff.

Therefore, the Prince William County School Board supports legislation that would provide funding for annual teacher salary increases and reinstate full funding for COCA for Region IV school divisions for both teachers and support staff.

7. Restore Education Funding to Pre-Economic Recession Levels

Funding of public education is a shared responsibility. While state and local authorities work in partnership to ensure a quality education for students in the Commonwealth, past changes to Virginia’s funding for public education widened the gap between the true local-level cost of providing programs and services and the amount reimbursed by the state.

8. Repeal or Modify Proffer Limitations

Legislation passed in 2016 severely limited the ability of local governments to require cash proffers in exchange for approval of development applications that necessitate new infrastructure investments, including school construction and expansion. The restrictions put significant new tax burdens on existing residents, potentially leading to overcrowded classrooms by forcing hard-pressed school divisions to cut back on needed capital projects.

Therefore, the Prince William County School Board supports legislation that would suspend or repeal current limitations or amend existing code to exempt localities in fast growing areas from the limitations on proffers essential to providing new schools and other development-driven needs.

9. Modify Advanced Studies Diploma Requirements to Encourage More Rigorous Coursework

Under current Virginia requirements, students seeking an Advanced Studies Diploma must earn credits from courses in “at least three different science disciplines from among: earth sciences, biology, chemistry, or physics, or completion of the sequence of science courses required for the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Forcing students to devote time to three separate disciplines penalizes those who seek to pursue the most advanced sequence of courses available (e.g. Pre-AP biology, Pre-AP chemistry, AP chemistry, and AP biology). Offering a second option will enable highly motivated students to take their study of science to the highest possible level by focusing on fewer areas.

Therefore, the Prince William County School Board supports legislation that would permit either: Completion of courses in three scientific disciplines from among: earth sciences, biology, chemistry, or physics; or the completion of advanced sequences of courses in two of the disciplines.

10. Computer Coding to Satisfy World Language Graduation Requirement

Coding makes computers and technology work. It is becoming the second language of the 21st Century, and the key to the technological understanding students need for success in future careers. Studies suggest that by 2020 American companies will have 1.4 million job openings that require computer-science expertise, yet they will find only 400,000 U.S. college graduates to fill them. This industry problem presents an opportunity for Virginia students, if they get the freedom to learn coding as part of their preparation for higher education.

Therefore, the Prince William County School Board supports legislation that would allow the successful completion of computer coding courses to satisfy standard units of credit in foreign/world language requirements to graduate with an advanced studies diploma.

Organized by State Legislative K-12 Subject Areas

CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE

Oppose all bills that would mandate additional statewide disciplinary procedures that would inhibit school administrators in circumstances where immediate disciplinary intervention is required, or otherwise limit the discretion of administrators in disciplinary matters.

Support and advocate for all bills that support school divisions when conducting required criminal fingerprint checks, requiring the state police to not only provide the location, arrest date, and municipality of the offense, but also additional information on the offense and any adjudication.

Support and advocate for bills that would amend Virginia Code § 22.1-258 authorizing school attendance officers to file with the intake officer for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court petitions to enforce attendance orders entered by the Court in response to the filing of a “Child in Need of Services” petition under Virginia Code § 16.1-228.

FINANCE/PURCHASING/FOOD SERVICE

Support and advocate for all bills that increase funding for part-day Governor’s Schools (The Governor’s School @ Innovation Park) in proportion to the funding provided to full-day Governor’s Schools and oppose any cuts to funding for part-day programs.

Oppose all bills that require school divisions to exceed federal and/or local School Board requirements to provide free or reduced-price meals, food items, or beverages to students, unless accompanied by state funding to cover the full cost of additional items and the equipment/personnel associated with their delivery.

Support and advocate for all bills that would prohibit the use of lottery funds to supplant general funding for Virginia school divisions.

Oppose all bills that usurp the authority of local school boards to properly allocate funding between instructional and support expenditures.

Oppose all bills that would require funding to “follow the student” in situations in which the home school division offers a complete virtual school program but the student elects to enroll in one offered by another school division.

Support all bills that eliminate the local school division budgetary match currently required to receive Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) funding, allowing school divisions to expand preschool opportunities without negatively impacting funding for other programs and services. Support and advocate for all bills that provide increased and targeted funding for educational technology infrastructure and increased bandwidth.

Oppose all bills that are unfunded mandates.

INSTRUCTION AND STANDARDS OF LEARNING

Support and advocate for all bills directing the state to define comparable verified units for graduation purposes for students transferring to Virginia school divisions from other states.

Support and advocate for all bills that provide increased and targeted funding for the necessary resources and expertise to provide professional development and support collaboration so that all school division employees (teachers, support staff, and administrators) are better able to support classroom instruction and student learning.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Support and advocate for all bills to establish a dedicated funding stream sufficient to provide continued, annual funding to Prince William County Public Schools to coordinate the statewide implementation of VA STAR. Since its inception in Prince William County’s Forest Park High School, this highly successful program has been expanded through the leadership of Prince William County Public Schools and our SPARK Education Foundation to a state initiative benefiting divisions across the Commonwealth. VA STAR trains students in vital technology skills (allowing many to earn valuable industry certifications), as they repair and refurbish donated computers and equipment to provide free-of-charge to students, families, schools, and other organizations in need of technology.

SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNANCE

Oppose all bills that would divest (limit) local school boards of their authority over the formation and operation of charter schools within their school divisions.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Support all bills that contribute to the School Division’s efforts to conserve energy and natural resources through the expansion of renewable energy, and energy efficiency incentives and opportunities.

SCHOOL SAFETY

Support all bills that eliminate the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) obstacle to full-time employment of retired police for school security. The Prince William County School Board urges legislators to modify the Code of Virginia to allow VRS to remove the 80 percent work limitation imposed on retirees. This action would eliminate an obstacle that currently prevents recruitment and hiring of retired law enforcement officers as full-time school security.

INFORMATION SHARING

Support all bills that remove impediments to beneficial sharing of student contact information. The Prince William County School Board calls on legislators to allow division superintendents or their designees to share student home/email addresses and phone numbers with specific third parties for the explicit purpose of offering students and their families access to information and services deemed educationally beneficial. As was previously the case, families could opt-out of such information sharing, if desired.