While this would admittedly be a wonderful addition to the staff of a high school, it represents yet another unfunded mandate coming out of Richmond. Would Delegate Simonds have any suggestions for how already financially strapped, rural school divisions like mine should pay for this mandated position? I oppose this bill because of the unfunded mandate it creates.

Attached, please find Greater Washington Partnership's written testimony urging a favorable report for HB 180. This bill aligns with our Skills & Talent priority of aligning what employers need with what educators teach, including by advocating for the development and promotion of work-based learning opportunities (e.g., apprenticeships, internships, project-based learning, and more).

HB 332 is a common-sense solution because it leverages professionals who are already teaching these subjects at accredited institutions. It maintains rigorous safety standards by requiring compliance with existing background and conduct regulations. Furthermore, it ensures stability by linking the license to the instructor’s continued employment at their college or university. This bill empowers our high schools to offer high-level technical training and college-credit courses that prepare our students for the modern workforce. I urge the committee to report HB 332." As Virginia continues to focus on workforce development, the greatest challenge often lies in the gap between classroom instruction and real-world application. HB 180 addresses this by establishing a Work-Based Learning Coordinator Pilot Program. By providing dedicated coordinators to school divisions, we can ensure that every student has access to high-quality internships, apprenticeships, and clinical experiences. This bill is particularly vital because it: Centralized Coordination: It removes the burden of finding work-based learning opportunities from teachers and puts it in the hands of specialized coordinators. Supports All Students: The pilot program includes funding for essential costs like background checks, personal protective equipment (PPE), and onboarding, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent students from participating. Ensures Quality: The program aligns professional development with the Board's CTE High-Quality Work-Based Learning Guide, guaranteeing a standard of excellence across participating divisions. Investing in these coordinators is an investment in Virginia’s future workforce. I urge the committee to report HB 180. Thank you for your time and for your commitment to our students.

Joining other Rappahannock Co leaders (including superintendent of schools, county administrator, school board chair, education foundation, COSARS…), I earnestly request your support of both HB748 (Runion) and HB1059 (Webert), critical to our small, rural public schools, too long burdened by a unique in the Commonwealth disadvantage to our rural students, families, and employees. A limited tax base and protection of agriculture means lower revenue than the LCI allows here, with 80% from our locality cf. just 20% from the state. And yet, 50%+ of our public school population is eligible for school lunch and a high percentage of our aging population lives on very modest to fixed incomes. Rappahannock receives Virginia’s very lowest per-pupil operational funding while our citizens make the sixth highest local contribution in the state, with 88% of real estate revenue going to education. Our families can't pay more. While Ch 847 of the Acts of 2007 provided remedy for Bath, Highland, Rappahannock and Surrey, Ch 589 of the Acts of 2008 capped support for Rappahannock Co now stagnated for 18 years, though inflation has increased costs by 31%. Please support both HB748 and HB1059 to remove this arbitrary cap and ensure adequate public funding for our schoolchildren, no less deserving than any across our Commonwealth. Respectfully, Rosa Crocker (33 yrs and counting, local education advocate, including 15 yrs, RCPS board, 6 yrs LFCC/LRCC educational foundation)

I'm writing to strongly support HB 748 and HB1059 because they address a fundamental fairness issue that has affected our community for nearly two decades. In 2008, during the recession, the General Assembly placed a cap on Supplemental Basic Aid for newly eligible school divisions like ours. That cap has remained frozen at $1,126,380 for 17 years, even as inflation has increased costs by 31% over the same period. Today, Rappahannock County is the ONLY division still affected by this outdated restriction. Here's what makes this especially frustrating: according to the state's own fiscal stress calculations, we have the 13th highest revenue capacity in Virginia. But the reality on the ground is very different. We have no big box stores, no data centers, no major industry. The "wealth" that formulas attribute to us comes from agricultural land values and a small number of high-income residents — neither of which translates into revenue we can actually collect to fund our schools. The result? Rappahannock County receives the absolute lowest per-pupil operational funding from the Commonwealth in Virginia — $2,013 per student. Meanwhile, our citizens already contribute the sixth highest local contribution in the state at $15,230 per pupil, with 88% of real estate tax revenue going to education. Our families can't be asked to pay more. They're already carrying far more than their fair share. Removing the 2008 cap would provide approximately $1.02 million in additional state funding — enough to help us meet accreditation standards without overburdening our older-than-average citizens. This isn't special treatment. It's simply aligning state funding with the reality of what small rural divisions like ours can actually generate locally. I know comprehensive funding formula reform will take time. But HB 748 and HB1059 offer something we can do right now — lift an outdated cap that serves no purpose except to hold back one small county's ability to serve its students. Virginia's leaders have a chance to do right by Rappahannock County's children — not ten years from now, but today. Thank you for your consideration.

In their comprehensive educational funding review, JLARC identified that current funding formulas fail to adequately recognize the educational funding burden for the smallest of the small school divisions in the commonwealth. In fact, JLARC found that the smallest school divisions have costs that are 150% greater than typical school divisions due to the natural economies of scale. In Virginia, the absolute smallest school division (Highland) receives supplemental basic aid to recognize this inherent funding problem. Approximately four other tiny school divisions are eligible for the same supplemental basic aid funding, but unfortunately for all but Highland the funding source was capped at 2008 levels (18 years ago) rendering the source no longer viable due to the natural course of inflation. HB748 & HB1059 would update this old cap to once again provide assistance to the smallest of the small school divisions. Those interested in reading detailed information about this topic can review an open letter written by me and the Rappahannock County Public Schools Superintendent that was published in the Cardinal News on December 2, 2024: https://cardinalnews.org/2024/12/02/its-time-to-graduate-from-the-great-recession-era-school-funding-caps-an-opportunity-for-partnership-with-policymakers-to-bring-fair-funding-to-rappahannock-county-public-schools/

The Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia supports this Bill. There is not one solution for this complex issue, so making as many tools available as possible to localities is essential.

As the Vice Chair of the Rappahannock County School Board, I’m writing to ask you to approve funding for HB 1059, It would lift the 2008 cap on Basic Aid for small districts. The Cap, which was imposed because of the 2007 economic recession, unfairly affects our county schools funding at a critical time for education in our country. The Commonwealth of Virginia has a huge surplus again this year, and it’s past time to lift this unfair cap. The very small amount it would take to fund this bill would have a huge positive impact on our schools and correct a wrong that has negatively affected our ability to fund our county schools for decades. I appreciate the continued efforts to improve education funding in Virginia— this would be a great way to show that you’re looking out for our communities, no matter how small. Thank you for your attention to this issue and your advocacy for restoring Virginia Public school funding as we try to make Virginia schools the best in the nation. Best Regards, Rachel Bynum

Joining other Rappahannock Co leaders (including superintendent of schools, county administrator, school board chair, education foundation, COSARS…), I earnestly request your support of both HB748 (Runion) and HB1059 (Webert), critical to our small, rural public schools, too long burdened by a unique in the Commonwealth disadvantage to our rural students, families, and employees. A limited tax base and protection of agriculture means lower revenue than the LCI allows here, with 80% from our locality cf. just 20% from the state. And yet, 50%+ of our public school population is eligible for school lunch and a high percentage of our aging population lives on very modest to fixed incomes. Rappahannock receives Virginia’s very lowest per-pupil operational funding while our citizens make the sixth highest local contribution in the state, with 88% of real estate revenue going to education. Our families can't pay more. While Ch 847 of the Acts of 2007 provided remedy for Bath, Highland, Rappahannock and Surrey, Ch 589 of the Acts of 2008 capped support for Rappahannock Co now stagnated for 18 years, though inflation has increased costs by 31%. Please support both HB748 and HB1059 to remove this arbitrary cap and ensure adequate public funding for our schoolchildren, no less deserving than any across our Commonwealth. Respectfully, Rosa Crocker (33 yrs and counting, local education advocate, including 15 yrs, RCPS board, 6 yrs LFCC/LRCC educational foundation)

I write in support of HB 748 and HB1059 to ask that this bill be approved. It will remove a Ap onSupplemental Badic Aud which unfairly penalized this and other small school districts., and Rappahanock I. Particulate leaving it with the lowest per capital State aid I. The State at $2013. It’s s all population contributes the sixth highest local contribution Jeapordizing the long term viability to maintain the schools.

I'm writing to strongly support HB 748 and HB1059 because they address a fundamental fairness issue that has affected our community for nearly two decades. In 2008, during the recession, the General Assembly placed a cap on Supplemental Basic Aid for newly eligible school divisions like ours. That cap has remained frozen at $1,126,380 for 17 years, even as inflation has increased costs by 31% over the same period. Today, Rappahannock County is the ONLY division still affected by this outdated restriction. Here's what makes this especially frustrating: according to the state's own fiscal stress calculations, we have the 13th highest revenue capacity in Virginia. But the reality on the ground is very different. We have no big box stores, no data centers, no major industry. The "wealth" that formulas attribute to us comes from agricultural land values and a small number of high-income residents — neither of which translates into revenue we can actually collect to fund our schools. The result? Rappahannock County receives the absolute lowest per-pupil operational funding from the Commonwealth in Virginia — $2,013 per student. Meanwhile, our citizens already contribute the sixth highest local contribution in the state at $15,230 per pupil, with 88% of real estate tax revenue going to education. Our families can't be asked to pay more. They're already carrying far more than their fair share. Removing the 2008 cap would provide approximately $1.02 million in additional state funding — enough to help us meet accreditation standards without overburdening our older-than-average citizens. This isn't special treatment. It's simply aligning state funding with the reality of what small rural divisions like ours can actually generate locally. I know comprehensive funding formula reform will take time. But HB 748 and HB1059 offer something we can do right now — lift an outdated cap that serves no purpose except to hold back one small county's ability to serve its students. Virginia's leaders have a chance to do right by Rappahannock County's children — not ten years from now, but today. Thank you for your consideration.

I strongly urge you to support HB1059. It is critical to adequately funding Rappahannock County’s Public School. I am currently on the Board Rappahannock County Public Education Foundation, named The Headwaters Dear Honorable Delegates, I strongly urge you to support HB 1059. I am on the board of Headwaters, The Rappahannock County Public Eduation Foundation, and I am distressed worried about the lack of State funding support for our county's public schools. Similar to other rural public schools, our school funding support is primarily from real estate taxes. Because most of the county is taxed at an agricultural use tax rate, our revenue is lower than the LCI presumes it to be. The County is having to pay 80% of the public school funding while the State of Virginia provides only 20%. Over 50% of the public school population is eligible for school lunch. In 2007, Chapter 847 of the Acts of 2007 remedied this problem by allowing Bath, Highland, Rappahannock and Surrey counties to enter into a cooperative agreement with an adjoining county to enable them to use the lower LCI of the adjoining county. The only problem with this remedy was that in 2008, Chapter 589 of the Acts of 2008 capped the level of support for Rappahannock County and it has remained the same since 2008. Please support HB 1059 which removes this arbitrary cap and ensures adequate State funding for the children in Rappahannock Public Schools

Support HB 1059-support for rural schools Dear Delegates, I am writing to you today to ask for your support on HB-1059. It is one of the bills before your committee currently. As many of you know, public schools, especially rural schools struggle with getting the resources they need to prepare their students for the future. In my county, the public schools are the biggest employers there and are the social glue of the county during football, volleyball and cross-country sports seasons. It’s a wonderful sight to see on a crisp fall evening, bleachers full of local families and friends all there to support their kids communally. Rappahannock schools are also personal to me. I was a single parent when my son was young, and my family benefitted greatly from the support I received from the school during a really difficult time of my life. My son is currently 26, a graduate of George Mason University and living in Centreville with a great job in computer analytics. Without the strong educational foundation he received, I’m not sure where he or I would be today. Passing HB 1059 would be a lifeline to the schools of Rappahannock and would benefit the wider community greatly. The Rappahannock students of today are the nurses, teachers, fire fighters, farmers of the county ‘s future. Without strongly funding schools, my county will lose residents to neighboring counties, towns will hollow out and the tax base will shrink greatly. Businesses will not move or invest in my community if it doesn’t have a thriving young population and services such as public schools for its employees. A bright future in Virginia shouldn’t depend on your zip code. Passing HB 1059 will help rural students have a chance for upward mobility too. Kind regards, Michelle McKinney HD -61, Rappahannock county resident

Having served as Chairman of Rappahannock County School Board 20 years, I remember the tight and questionable times when this cap was instantiated in 2007. However, it seems unreasonable for this limitation to continue as we have faithfully complied with the sharing agreement for decades at minimal benefit to our county. I request passage of the bill, and thus the removal of the 2007 cap language. Thank you for considering it again. Sincerely, John Wesley Mills

In their comprehensive educational funding review, JLARC identified that current funding formulas fail to adequately recognize the educational funding burden for the smallest of the small school divisions in the commonwealth. In fact, JLARC found that the smallest school divisions have costs that are 150% greater than typical school divisions due to the natural economies of scale. In Virginia, the absolute smallest school division (Highland) receives supplemental basic aid to recognize this inherent funding problem. Approximately four other tiny school divisions are eligible for the same supplemental basic aid funding, but unfortunately for all but Highland the funding source was capped at 2008 levels (18 years ago) rendering the source no longer viable due to the natural course of inflation. HB748 & HB1059 would update this old cap to once again provide assistance to the smallest of the small school divisions. Those interested in reading detailed information about this topic can review an open letter written by me and the Rappahannock County Public Schools Superintendent that was published in the Cardinal News on December 2, 2024: https://cardinalnews.org/2024/12/02/its-time-to-graduate-from-the-great-recession-era-school-funding-caps-an-opportunity-for-partnership-with-policymakers-to-bring-fair-funding-to-rappahannock-county-public-schools/