As outlined in Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Virginia and § 22.1-18 of the Code of Virginia, by December 1 of each year, the Board of Education must submit to the Governor and General Assembly a report on the condition and needs of public education in the Commonwealth.

Through the 2019 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia, the Board of Education reaffirms the priorities and goals outlined in its comprehensive plan, adopted November 2017. The priorities outlined in the comprehensive plan are to:

• Provide high-quality, effective learning environments for all students;

• Advance policies that increase the number of candidates entering the teaching profession and encourage and support the recruitment, development, and retention of well-prepared and skilled teachers and school leaders;

• Ensure successful implementation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and the accountability system for school quality as embodied in the revisions to the Standards of Accreditation.

Many of the conclusions from the 2018 Annual Report remain true.

• By many national and state measures, Virginia’s public schools, students, and educators continue to improve and lead the way in academic achievement and accountability. However, persistent achievement gaps remain for certain student groups.

• Virginia schools are underfunded. According to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s report Virginia Compared to the Other States: 2019 Edition, Virginia ranks 26th out of 50 for state and local per pupil funding for Pre K-12 education, and 42nd out of 50 for state per pupil funding. Adjusting for inflation, state direct aid has fallen eight percent per student for K-12 public schools in Virginia since 2009.

• Local governments continue to take on a larger share of funding. In 2018-2019, Virginia localities invested $4.2 billion above the required local effort for SOQ programs. However, not all localities have the capacity to provide additional investments causing inequitable resources and learning opportunities for students.

• Virginia continues to face a growing shortage of high-quality educators entering and remaining in the classroom. The number of unfilled positions increased from 366 during the 2008-2009 school year to a height of 1,081 in the 2016-2017 school year, then dropped slightly to 878 in the 2018-2019 school year. The percent of provisionally licensed and inexperienced teachers has similarly climbed.

The 2019 review of the SOQ, and subsequent revisions, makes progress towards addressing these conclusions and the Board’s three priorities identified in the Comprehensive Plan: 2018-2023.

To provide high-quality effective learning environments for all students, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Creates the Equity Fund within the SOQ, which consolidates the At-Risk Add On and Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation funds to distribute resources based on the divisionwide free lunch rate. School divisions would be able to use the funds to (1) provide for additional instructional or specialized student support positions; (2) support programs for students who are educationally at-risk or need prevention, intervention, and remediation; or (3) provide targeted compensation adjustments to assist in recruiting and retaining experienced teachers in high poverty schools;

• Amends the staffing requirements for English Learner teachers to differentiate the distribution of positions based on the proficiency level of students in each school divisions, while maintaining local flexibility in deploying those positions;

• Creates a new staffing category for specialized student support personnel with specified ratios for the positions of school nurse, school social worker, and school psychologist, removing them from the SOQ support position category; and

• Provides reading specialists positions for students in grades K-5, based upon the number of students failing third-grade Standards of Learning reading assessments, shifting the Early Reading Intervention Program into the SOQ.

To increase the number of candidates entering the teaching profession and support the recruitment, development and retention of well-prepared and skilled teachers and school leaders, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Establishes a new Teacher Leader program, and expand the existing Teacher Mentor program, whereby additional compensation and additional time is provided during the instructional day for locally-designated staff to serve in leadership and mentorship program roles;

• Establishes a statewide principal mentorship program to strengthen and foster the expanding role of quality school leaders that support teacher retention and student achievement; and

• Moves the K-3 Class Size Reduction program into the Standards of Quality, and incorporate flexibility to allow larger class sizes for experienced teachers that are provided compensation adjustments.

To ensure successful implementation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and the accountability system, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Establishes state-level and regional work-based learning coordinators to foster connections between school divisions and the business community to advance work-based learning opportunities in each division.

In addition to the newly prescribed Standards of Quality, the Board reaffirms the following revisions approved by the Board in 2016:

• To provide one full-time school counselor for every 250 students;

• To provide one full-time principal in every school;

• To provide one full-time assistant principal for each 400 students; and

Further, the Board recommends the General Assembly eliminate the measures that were implemented during the recession - the “support position cap" and the temporary flexibility language waiving certain staffing requirements.

The Board is committed to creating a more equitable public education system that supports a highquality, diverse teacher workforce, utilizing its authority provided in the Virginia Constitution and Code of Virginia. Addressing conditions that affect student learning and well-being requires a continued investment of resources. Further, addressing these needs require partnerships between the Board of Education, the General Assembly, the governor, local school boards and divisions, educators, families, community organizations, and business industries. The comprehensive Standards of Quality issued by the Board, founded in research and best practice, make progress toward creating a more equitable public education system for Virginia’s students and should be fully funded by the General Assembly.

• Provide high-quality, effective learning environments for all students;

• Advance policies that increase the number of candidates entering the teaching profession and encourage and support the recruitment, development, and retention of well-prepared and skilled teachers and school leaders;

• Ensure successful implementation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and the accountability system for school quality as embodied in the revisions to the Standards of Accreditation. Many of the conclusions from the 2018 Annual Report remain true.

• By many national and state measures, Virginia’s public schools, students, and educators continue to improve and lead the way in academic achievement and accountability. However, persistent achievement gaps remain for certain student groups.

• Virginia schools are underfunded. According to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s report Virginia Compared to the Other States: 2019 Edition, Virginia ranks 26th out of 50 for state and local per pupil funding for Pre K-12 education, and 42nd out of 50 for state per pupil funding. Adjusting for inflation, state direct aid has fallen eight percent per student for K-12 public schools in Virginia since 2009.

• Local governments continue to take on a larger share of funding. In 2018-2019, Virginia localities invested $4.2 billion above the required local effort for SOQ programs. However, not all localities have the capacity to provide additional investments causing inequitable resources and learning opportunities for students.

• Virginia continues to face a growing shortage of high-quality educators entering and remaining in the classroom. The number of unfilled positions increased from 366 during the 2008-2009 school year to a height of 1,081 in the 2016-2017 school year, then dropped slightly to 878 in the 2018-2019 school year. The percent of provisionally licensed and inexperienced teachers has similarly climbed.

The 2019 review of the SOQ, and subsequent revisions, makes progress towards addressing these conclusions and the Board’s three priorities identified in the Comprehensive Plan: 2018-2023.

To provide high-quality effective learning environments for all students, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Creates the Equity Fund within the SOQ, which consolidates the At-Risk Add On and Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation funds to distribute resources based on the divisionwide free lunch rate. School divisions would be able to use the funds to (1) provide for additional instructional or specialized student support positions; (2) support programs for students who are educationally at-risk or need prevention, intervention, and remediation; or (3) provide targeted compensation adjustments to assist in recruiting and retaining experienced teachers in high poverty schools;

• Amends the staffing requirements for English Learner teachers to differentiate the distribution of positions based on the proficiency level of students in each school divisions, while maintaining local flexibility in deploying those positions;

• Creates a new staffing category for specialized student support personnel with specified ratios for the positions of school nurse, school social worker, and school psychologist, removing them from the SOQ support position category; and

• Provides reading specialists positions for students in grades K-5, based upon the number of students failing third-grade Standards of Learning reading assessments, shifting the Early Reading Intervention Program into the SOQ.

• To increase the number of candidates entering the teaching profession and support the recruitment, development and retention of well-prepared and skilled teachers and school leaders, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Establishes a new Teacher Leader program, and expand the existing Teacher Mentor program, whereby additional compensation and additional time is provided during the instructional day for locally-designated staff to serve in leadership and mentorship program roles;

• Establishes a statewide principal mentorship program to strengthen and foster the expanding role of quality school leaders that support teacher retention and student achievement; and

• Moves the K-3 Class Size Reduction program into the Standards of Quality, and incorporate flexibility to allow larger class sizes for experienced teachers that are provided compensation adjustments.

To ensure successful implementation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate and the accountability system, the Board’s prescribed Standards of Quality:

• Establishes state-level and regional work-based learning coordinators to foster connections between school divisions and the business community to advance work-based learning opportunities in each division.

In addition to the newly prescribed Standards of Quality, the Board reaffirms the following revisions approved by the Board in 2016:

• To provide one full-time school counselor for every 250 students;

• To provide one full-time principal in every school;

• To provide one full-time assistant principal for each 400 students; and

Further, the Board recommends the General Assembly eliminate the measures that were implemented during the recession - the “support position cap" and the temporary flexibility language waiving certain staffing requirements.

The Board is committed to creating a more equitable public education system that supports a highquality, diverse teacher workforce, utilizing its authority provided in the Virginia Constitution and Code of Virginia. Addressing conditions that affect student learning and well-being requires a continued investment of resources. Further, addressing these needs require partnerships between the Board of Education, the General Assembly, the governor, local school boards and divisions, educators, families, community organizations, and business industries. The comprehensive Standards of Quality issued by the Board, founded in research and best practice, make progress toward creating a more equitable public education system for Virginia’s students and should be fully funded by the General Assembly.