Senate Bill 977, sponsored by Senator Ghazala Hashmi, advanced from the Senate Committee on Education and Health on Jan. 9 and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration. The bill implements several near-term recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to reform Virginia’s Standards of Quality (SOQ) school funding formula, with an emphasis on increasing state support for students with disabilities and removing the “support cap” on support personnel funding.

Hashmi told the committee the bill bundles multiple JLARC recommendations: (1) finish lifting the support cap and undo technical funding cuts from 2008; (2) move from a linear weighted average to a simple division average for calculating teacher and staff salaries; (3) adopt technical formula fixes; (4) move the “at-risk” add-on into the main funding formula; and (5) create a flexible add-on to increase per-student support for students with disabilities to align with JLARC’s policy option 5.

Hashmi said JLARC’s July 2023 report found Virginia underfunds education by billions: “In total, the Commonwealth has been underfunding, education, more than $6,600,000,000 total, over the past several years,” she said, and highlighted a specific shortfall in special education staffing: the state funds for 1,700 special education aides while school divisions employ roughly 11,400.

Supporters that testified included local school division officials, school administrators, the Virginia Education Association, the Commonwealth Institute, Voices for Virginia’s Children, the Legal Aid Justice Center and parent groups. Common themes were the long-term benefits of investment in education, the disproportionate burden borne by localities, and workforce shortages for special education staff. Kevin Hickerson, a special education teacher, testified that localities have struggled to staff special education classes and urged action.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) submitted formal opposition as drafted. Christina Berta, VDOE chief operations officer and a former local school CFO, said VDOE “does not recommend continued modification of the funding formula as it exists today” without valid data for new weights; the administration supports an overhaul but prefers a coordinated approach.

Committee members discussed estimated costs. Hashmi said the JLARC-based estimate for the bill’s near-term package is about $1.1 billion and that the Finance Committee would have an opportunity to scale or phase funding. The committee voted 11–3 to report and refer the measure to finance.

Ending: The committee’s record shows a divided posture between policymakers pressing for near-term funding progress and the administration urging coordinated formula redesign; final choices on scope and timing will be determined in the Finance Committee and the budget process.