A push to examine how Virginia funds English language learners (ELLs) in public schools was shut down after the state鈥檚 Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee rejected a proposal for data collection on the issue.
House Bill 2032 would have directed the Virginia Department of Education to collect data on expenditures and proficiency levels for ELL students. The measure also called for the identification of additional support strategies and a status report to lawmakers later this year.
The effort stemmed from a 2023 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), which found that Virginia has been underfunding schools under the Standards of Quality 鈥 the state鈥檚 funding formula for public education. Lawmakers had requested the report to identify gaps in school funding and determine whether ELL students were receiving adequate resources.
The funding gap is stark. A 2022 study from EdTrust, an education advocacy group, showed that Virginia school districts serving the highest number of ELL students receive 48% less revenue per student than districts with fewer ELL students.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for us, as a commonwealth, to provide funding for the requirements that we set forth, so that local appropriations are not needed to close that gap,鈥 Representative Atoosa Reaser, the legislation鈥檚 sponsor, said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 money that belongs to the taxpayer; and the state should be, in my opinion, funding its fair share, which the House budget works toward.鈥
Virginia Mercury (2/17/25) By Nathaniel Cline