Dr. Rosa of Georgetown University presented an analysis of state K–12 spending, staffing changes and student outcomes for Virginia, and discussed national lessons for maximizing return on education investment.

Rosa showed that per‑pupil spending in Virginia rose over the past decade (presenter cited an average near $16,000 per pupil in 2023), outpacing inflation, while NAEP scores (fourth‑grade reading and eighth‑grade math) fell or failed to recover from pandemic losses. She said the decline was not unique to Virginia but that some states and districts have reversed declines, demonstrating state policy matters.

Rosa highlighted staffing changes: although enrollment is falling, districts employed more staff than a decade ago — roughly 3,000 more teachers, 2,000 more teacher aides and large growth in an “all other” category of specialists and support staff. She warned that when systems promote strong classroom teachers into specialist roles and then hire less effective replacements, overall classroom effectiveness may decline. Using school‑level ROI visualizations, Rosa showed large variation among schools with similar poverty levels in spending per pupil and state reading/math outcomes; she characterized the higher‑outcome, moderate‑spending schools as “ROI superstars.”

Rosa recommended several policy levers: concentrate top teaching talent in classrooms (even if class sizes are larger for stronger teachers) and compensate for heavier workloads; use student growth data to identify and retain strongest teachers in core instructional roles; consider shifting resources away from low‑value positions toward classroom instruction; and target early literacy improvements to reduce downstream special‑education identifications (Rosa showed identified special‑education counts rising while the overall student population declined). She cautioned that enrollment declines will require divisions to shrink, and urged proactive restructuring to create smaller, stronger systems rather than waiting until financial stress forces blunt cuts.

Board members asked for examples of state and district approaches; Rosa reiterated the emphasis on data, teacher placement, and targeted compensation strategies. Rosa also noted that some class‑size rules and caps can limit flexible staffing strategies and encouraged states to consider policies that allow targeted workload/compensation models that put more students in front of highly effective teachers. No board action was taken on the presentation.