I support the notion that schools should be open 5 days a week immediately or the districts should be defunded. Taxpayer money is being wasted. CARES money is being misappropriated. Please help stop the madness and send our kids back now!

The Virginia Nurses Association supports this legislation. Being clear about the credentials of the school nurse is important, particularly given their increased role and responsibilities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

Virginia PTA urges you to pass HB1736 to provide parents and school staff with a clear expectation and understanding of the type of healthcare available in their school. For the past 27 years Virginia PTA has held the position that every school should be staffed with a Registered Nurse. Per the CDC 25% of students have chronic health concerns and the presence of a school nurse enables students to attend school while being assured access to life-saving medication and health care during the school day. The COVID-19 crisis not only places children with chronic health concerns at greater risk, but also creates an urgent need for trained professional support to address the pandemic response. We know that many students have lost loved ones due to COVID and struggled with mental health concerns in the distance learning environment. As our students return to full in person instruction, the school nurse will be able to provide mental health support, serve as a front-line health care provider and a bridge between the health care and education system. Virginia PTA urges you to pass HB1736 to provide a clear health standard in our schools and enable families to confidently send their children back to school buildings knowing there is a trained nurse to support the COVID response.

Virginia Professional Educators supports HB1736. School nurses are critical to our students' well being and safety, so at least one nurse should be placed in each school.

I support an RN in every school.

The VEA joins the National Association of School Nurses' position and other groups that every child has access to a school nurse that is a Registered Nurse (RN). A school nurse required to be an RN has the expertise and regulatory authority to make assessments that other individuals do not have. We also recognize that some localities may not be able or cannot afford to hire RNs. The public should know that the "nurse" in the school clinic is, in fact, a Registered Nurse. The VEA has long supported a nurse in every school. We believe that the school nurse should be a Registered Nurse (RN), and this is what HB 1736 does; it merely states that "No individual who provides nursing services in a public elementary or secondary school as a school board employee or through a contract with the local health department shall use the title of school nurse unless such individual is a registered nurse who possesses an active license to practice in the Commonwealth." A student's health is directly related to his or her ability to learn. Children with unmet health needs have a difficult time engaging in the educational process. The school nurse supports student success by providing health care through assessment, intervention, and follow-up for all children within the school setting. The school nurse addresses students' physical, mental, emotional, and social health needs and supports their achievement in the learning process. It is important to note that amendments to HB 1736 by substitute have no fiscal or human resource impact. The VEA supports HB 1736 as amended, and we urge the committee to support and move the bill favorably from your committee today. Also, please take a moment to view this excellent video from Dr. Steven Walts, Superintendent of the Prince William County Public Schools, on the importance of school nurses. https://youtu.be/Wu1vA1UFWNo Thank you for providing the opportunity to provide written public comments on HB 1736.

YES YES YES to HB1865!!!! Do nothing or make a difference!!! My child is a 9th grade student with Dyslexia, he is reading on an elementary 4th grade level. He is far far behind. He was passed along and his behaviors were expressed and duly noted but not for his real issue, he does not have the foundation of reading in his skill set. Behavior is a direct reflection of needs not being met. READING IS A LIFE SKILL!!! This is a bill that can transform our future healers, helpers and humanitarians by addressing the hidden concerns for children and their needs can be put forefront. This bill may not change the world for my child but the many many others that are struggling need your VOTE!!! Children need this bill, teachers need this bill, our society needs children to have a foundation and use the science of reading to forge ahead. This is not a debate for what is best, this a vote for what is RIGHT!!! Testing and offering a chance to the most valuable asset is our students is this Bills teeth. I implore you to give merit to the passion of teaching children a life skill that is required to be successful. This isn't about books or the measurement about learning it is about changing a child's life and open the doors of opportunity to grow. The struggles of reading and writing are real and my son would gladly speak to this issue directly and put the face on the struggle. You need to protect his younger family to have a real learning experience and better the world for them. Again make a difference, PASS HB 1865 Unanimously there is no other position that provides a solid foundation for our students. YOUth is in your VOTE!!! Thank you and again Dyslexia is a challenge and READING IS A LIFE SKILL!! Yes HB 1865!!

I support HB 1865. OG is required for dyslexia and it works for all other reading issues too. The science has been here for years and it’s heartbreaking that so many students have passed through Virginia schools without learning to read. Pass the Bill, please.

I support the notion that schools should be open 5 days a week immediately or the districts should be defunded. Taxpayer money is being wasted. CARES money is being misappropriated. Please help stop the madness and send our kids back now!

I support HB1865. I became a literacy advocate after I understood the instruction my bright son was given was totally inadequate and not based on replicable reliable science. That was 25 yrs ago. Perhaps this time? I also support HB 1947, allowing students with disabilities to take computer classes instead of foreign language. Foreign language is a huge stumbling block and a barrier which can keep brilliant students from excelling at what they are most talented. As a homeschool teacher, I watched my sons struggle with Latin and then Spanish, hours that would have been more wisely spent learning computer programming or any practically anything else. As far as not relating to foreigners, I did not worry, as my husband is one and my sons got along with him just fine. We travelled extensively and did not have a problem communicating or learning the customs, food, or art. Today is such an exciting time to live.....there is Google translate! Because of technology, I frequently send message to my Spanish, French, German friends without having to master all those languages and different dialects. Foreign language was such a obstacle, I decided to keep on homeschooling my sons to get rid of it. Both my sons found their path; one is a mechanical engineer, and the other does virtual reality programing. I think it would not only benefit many of our brilliant, creative, gifted (but think differently) students but also our country, to assist them reach their potential.

I am writing on behalf of my 5th grade son and my 2nd grade son with learning disabilities. I am deeply concerned about the language in the bill related to Orton-Gillingham methods. Both of my sons were failed by this methods used in the public schools and when asked to look at other evidence-based methods like Direct Instruction we were told by the Special Education director that Orton-Gillingham is the method they used and it is fully supported by the Virginia Department of Education despite my sharing with them that the learning disability specialist at the VADOE actually told a group of parents at a Decoding Dyslexia event that there is not enough research to support it as evidence-based method. Yes it applies the principles of the reading science but there is not enough research on each of the programs. My older sons school team celebrated the fact that after seven months of working with an OG certified teacher he could read one more sight word than he had read 7 months ago. He was in second grade and reading at a kindergarten level. This is not growth. We had to pull him from school and pay thousands of dollars for someone knowledgeable in the science of learning and Direct Instruction to work with. After two years of work he is knowing reading words up to the 5th grade level. His reading teacher at school is stunned at the level of phonetic knowledge he has, which is more than most of the learners in general education have. My youngest child has received Orton-Gillingham from two teachers using OG at the same time, one a reading specialist and one a special education teacher. He was a non-reader after more than 2 years of work. Once again, we put him into the more expensive program at our expense and after 3 weeks he was reading text, sounding out words, rhyming and more. One day he started reading at school and the teacher was stunned and asked him how he started reading. His response “Coach T taught me how to read.” Coach T was the person we hired to provide him intensive reading intervention rooted in the science of learning and reading. It is not right that the schools will only consider Orton-Gillingham based methods for reading. It is very harmful to children like mine that the VA Department of Education spends hundreds of thousands of dollars training teachers in a single method of reading instruction. The one thing that I know is that science leads to on-going changes in what we understand about reading and learning. By putting only one method in the law, children like mine will continue to be bounced around between OG trained teachers and different OG curriculum with no one ever questioning is it really working. No! It is not. 2 years of OG for each and neither of them were reading. They needed more than OG. Please take this language out of the bill so that parents like I can have conversations with schools about other evidence-based methods and not be shut down at every meeting because the VADOE and the General Assembly has selected OG as the single method from which all reading instruction needs to occur. Thank you for taking up this bill. I support everything in this bill except for the one method being put into this bill.

Support. Virginia First Cities (VFC) supports HB 1865 which provides reading interventions for students in K-3 who demonstrate need based on their performance on evidence-based reading diagnostic tests. Virginia First Cities recognizes the value of additional supports early in a child’s learning career because it will lead to better performance later and overall better outcomes for these students. The ability to read by the third grade has long been a predictor of success for students. This policy supports VFC’s efforts to promote both educational and long-term success.

I fully agree with the bulk of the language of this bill however, I am asking for the removal of “grounded in the Orton-Gillingham methodology” from the language of this bill. There are other methods rooted in the science of learning and the science of reading that have long been proven to significantly increase the outcomes of at-risk early learners in reading. By mentioning by name one approach in this bill, you may unintentionally limit access to other effective methods of instruction for children with learning disabilities in reading in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The International Dyslexia Association and the community of people that have been trained in Orton-Gillingham methods are not the final word on what evidence-based reading instruction is for learners. That final word should be left to the scientific community which is ever on the course of identifying how individuals learn to read, how individuals retain the skills they are learning, and how learners generalize learned skills in reading to more complex reading behaviors. By including “grounded in the Orton-Gillingham methodology” in the language of this bill, one single approach to reading instruction will be enshrined in the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia to the exclusion of other methodologies rooted in not only the science of reading but also in the science of learning. You must have a knowledge of both sciences to make the meaningful and transformative impact that all learners struggling in reading need to make long-term gains. It is my ask as a citizen of Virginia, as an educator in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and as an aunt to two learners with reading disabilities in Virginia (who have been failed by the Orton-Gillingham approach for more than 3 years for each of them) that this law be accepted by all delegates only if the language “grounded in the Orton-Gillingham methodology” either be removed from the law or if it remains to also include the specific names of all other current evidence-based approaches to reading instruction. Since the research is ever-evolving, as research should be, my ask is that the language “grounded in Orton-Gillingham methodology” be struck from this bill.

Good morning, I'm here asking for a YEA for hb 1865. As a mother of a dyslexic child, it's imperative that the school to provide the proper curriculum. As a parent it's heartbreaking knowing that our children are giving the proper tools to learn given their documented disability. As a family we have spent thousands of our own money paying for tutoring, Lindamood bell reading program, Wilson reading and speech language pathologists. We are running out of money and were told by her 2nd grade public school teacher, "you need to hire an Orten gilliaham tutor." Schools are failing our children. Our daughter and many others future rests in your capable hands. Certain students in kindergarten through grade 3; reading intervention services. Requires reading intervention services for students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading test or any reading diagnostic test that meets criteria established by the Department of Education to be evidence-based and aligned with the science of reading and structured literacy approaches, both defined in the bill, and to include the components of effective reading instruction and explicit, systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction. Sincerely, Lori Shirey

Good morning I would respectfully ask that the hb1865 be passed as a total unanimous vote to help the children of Virginia in entirety. My request is reading is a LIFE SKILL not just a caveat for those that HAVE. I EMPLORE you to acknowledge the HAVE NOTS. My child has DYSLEXIA and his have nots are a unique disability that if the merits of this bill were in place years ago he would no be a high school freshman struggling at a 4th grade reading level. If you are to help our children today and into the future allow this bill to be the bridge that fills the gaps. Today more than ever we must come together and lift each other and most specifically our children to thrive. READING IS A LIFE SKILL and it is with this bill testing and administration of help would be made available. Please pass this bill so many children like my son with Dyslexia get the chance to improve their skills to read and be tested earliest and properly. We struggle and know this Bill would be helpful to others so twice the good can be done here. I ask again please PASS HB1865

I have been a dyslexia advocate for 10 years and I am asking for your support of HB1865. My son is 17 years old and very dyslexic. In kindergarten he was recognized for reading and language issues, but there were no trained teachers at Bon Air Elementary School who were able to identity his dyslexia , work with him at school, or talk to me about what was happening . I spent his entire elementary school years trying to advocate him. By the 5th grade he was still not able to write his own name, read a book, or even say the alphabet. Most challenging was that he began to show signs of emotional distress, low self confidence, and shame. We removed him from public school and enrolled him in a private program with teachers trained in the science of reading and using structured literacy methods for remediation. He is now 17 in the 11th grade. He has a 3.8 grade point average, is a member of the National Honor Society, scored a 550 on his reading PSAT, and is looking at colleges with applied physics degrees. Had my husband and I not put him with trained teachers I know he would never have gotten to where he is now. Please support HB1865 so that Virginia teachers can be better prepared and supported.

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

Good Evening, As a parent, early childhood educator and now trained CALT therapist, I support this Bill. Our children are suffering without the proper education in place and the impact on the academic, social and emotional well being is seriously affected. Please pass this Bill to immediately implement the necessary support our dyslexic community needs. Thank you.

My name is Jody walters, a resident of The village of Bluemont! I am the mother of five children, 4 that struggle with Learning Disabilities in Dyslexia and Autism. We moved to Northern Virginia from West Virginia, after we had endured the long and often painful journey of educating our older dyslexic sons, in a state that is notorious for poor literacy scores, and zero help for those who have the extra challenge of dyslexia. We were forced to homeschool them when the WV public school system refused to recognize one of the most common of all learning disabilities....dyslexia. They ultimately graduated from High School, through much trial and error, but it has left them with enormous gaps, lost opportunity, and uphill struggles into adulthood. Thankfully, they have a huge support system and have been taught to self-advocate along the way....but What about the students who don't have parents able to homeschool, advocate, or build their self esteem? When we learned that our youngest son was also dyslexic, we took our life savings and bought our forever home in one of Virginian's wealthiest counties, and one of the very best school districts. We had always planned to make this move when we retired, but time was of the essence with this bright little 7-year-old boy, diagnosed as twice-exceptional (dyslexic and gifted). The time came when we sat down for our IEP meetings for our son with Autism and our son with dyslexia, at our new VA school. Same IEP team, back to back meetings. The Autism IEP we completed with little to no struggle; he was afforded everything he needed. Then, we started to work our way through the dyslexia IEP, and met with enormous resistance, despite the school psychologist, evaluator, and social worker agreeing with us the parents, 100%, on what our child needed. Where had this team we just met with Autism over gone? Even with my experience as a disability advocate and Decoding Dyslexia State Leader in WV, we were met with an uphill battle. We ended up with an IEP, but not what he needed to remediate. We were heartbroken, as we had more faith in the Virginia Public school system. His teachers felt helpless in their ability to teach this bright boy, who was a whiz at math & coding but failed to be able to read, at grade level. When distance learning started, we discovered that the "reading specialist" assigned to him, had little knowledge of dyslexia... and only a week-long Orton Gillingham course. We hadn't realized her lack of knowledge until we were sitting with her online. Not only had he not gotten sufficient remediation in school, but he also wasn't getting the help he needed in remote learning. We opted to homeschool him, during covid. In the first few months of 2nd grade, he started to drastically improve in reading, leaving me exhausted. Spending hours to educate me on how to best teach him, using OG methods. We loved our neighborhood "Code to the Future" school...our principal and teachers, and that's where we want him to be, but he also deserves the help he needs. Our story sadly isn't unique! We have hopes for our child's future and want him to reach his highest potential, and to use that engineering brain he has. My bright mathematician urges you today to add up the "Yea" votes, for HB 1865 and make a difference in not only his education here in Virginia, but for the 1 in 5 kids in each VA classroom, to have the chance at a bright and fulfilling future that they deserve. Thank you!

As the mother of an unidentified dyslexic son, I am requesting your support for HB1865. My son was placed in pull-out reading in elementary school and I was not notified. It wasn't until the end of 5th grade that I became aware that the school was pulling him out of class to work with a reading specialist. I had been told not to worry about his struggles in reading, that he would "catch up" when I brought up my concerns, but was not told that he was actually working with a reading specialist (which proved they knew he was having difficulty reading). I became aware when my son saw his reading specialist and made a comment of how much he disliked her. When I asked who she was he told me, "I go to her to work on my reading." He hated that process because it didn't help him. They were not utilizing the science of reading concepts, therefore, he was not successful in what he considered "the dumb class" either. As his parent, I should have been notified he was receiving pull-out services . They should have acknowledged he was behind in reading and should have been accountable to what they were doing to remediate his weakness. It was the end of 7th grade before he was identified as having a "learning disability in reading and writing". All those years were wasted and he never received the appropriate remediation for his reading and writing. The school system failed him year after year telling him he just needed to "try harder". He is now 21 and entering his adult life unable to read, write and spell at an acceptable level although he graduated with honors from high school and is now on the Dean's list at college. He is not dumb - although the school system made him believe he was. He has accommodations to equal the playing field in school; however, it will be a very difficult road in the working world. There is no excuse for any school system to not teach a child how to read when there is scientific evidence proving they can learn if given the correct methods. It's not about teachers unions or budgets, it's about giving every child the ability to become independent - reading opens those doors. Please support HB1865.

I am writing in support of the science of reading. Early intervention and equipping our students with what they need for life long reading is critical.

Good morning - My name is Lynda Bruni and I am writing to ask that you support HB 1865. Your support can and will make an incredible difference to a family of a dyslexic learner or, as in my case, a family with several dyslexic learners. Each and every component in HB 1865 is imperative to a child’s success, not only in school, but in life! I know first hand the struggles of a dyslexic child not identified or properly remediated. The emotional toll as well as the financial impact is enormous. We were able to provide the services needed to aide in our children’s success as adults, but most families are not. They are depending on you to help them. Please familiarize yourself with the details in this bill and understand that not only the dyslexic community, but ALL children, are in dire need of your support. Sincerely, Lynda Bruni Haymarket, Virginia

Chair and Members of the House Education SOL and SOQ subcommittee, My name is Amanda Campbell and I am writing on behalf of Virginia PTA. I am the special education representative on the Virginia PTA advocacy committee. Virginia PTA represents 175,000 members in over 940 local units across 21 geographic divisions in the Commonwealth. We support Delegate Delaney’s bill, HB1865, that will require evidence-based interventions aligned with the science of reading for students needing intervention in grades K-3. Research shows that explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension - also known as the 5 pillars of literacy - is essential for all children to become better readers. This science of reading approach is critical, especially, for the 20% of our population that has dyslexia - a neurological language processing disorder. It is also important to note that research shows that students who are non-speaking or minimally speaking also require access to these evidence-based, science of reading interventions, as these interventions are crucial in order for these students to learn how to read and communicate via assistive technology. The total Reading and Writing SOL pass rates in Virginia (across all grade levels) have been steadily decreasing since at least the 2016-2017 school year, according to VDOE’s statistics. We urge the members of the SOQ and SOL subcommittee to bring this bill to the floor, and for the General Assembly to pass it. Best Regards, Amanda Campbell Virginia PTA Advocacy Committee

We’re asking for the support to pass HB1865. While it is too late for our three Dyslexic children to directly benefit, we sit on the side of knowing if qualified, trained-in-the-science-of-reading reading specialists had been there to work with our boys we would have seen reading progress earlier, when they still had the intrinsic desire to want to learn to read, not after years of failing and feeling like it’s an impossible mountain to climb. On behalf of the thousands of other children who shouldn’t need to needless experience this trauma, we ask you to support and pass this bill.

As the parent of a child with dyslexia and an EL teacher, I work with students who would greatly benefit from a curriculum that is aligned with the science of reading. I am writing to ask you to support HB 1865 as well as the following action items: 1. Align the Virginia code with ESSA language for the Essential Components of Reading Instruction (ECORI). 2. Align EIRI instruction with the science of reading (aka structured literacy 3. Request that VDOE review and list materials and curriculum that align to the science of reading and in what way so that districts may become better consumers. Thank you, Jackie Baker

Please support our children who struggle to read by supporting HB 1865. I'm the parent of two children with dyslexia. We didn't find out about their reading disability diagnosis until 3rd grade, at which point we'd lost precious years doing whole literacy reading interventions with the school (which didn't help), rather than science-based, structured literacy interventions. PLEASE support this bill so we can identify kids right away, and then make sure school districts are providing science-based literacy education with trained teachers. Thank you .

Good morning, I am writing to request your support for bill HB1865. I have a 9 year old 3rd grade daughter who was finally diagnosed with Orthographic Dyslexia and ADHD this year. I say finally because there have been signs since preschool that something was holding this smart and capable child back. We were even referred to Child Find when she was four. She had some of the very best teachers at our school, she began private tutoring in 1st grade and we even educated ourselves in the Orton Gillingham structured literacy methodology and purchased a program so that we could tutor her at home with more consistency. We were determined not to let her fall through the cracks. After working so hard through all of 1st grade and not seeing the progress that we expected, we requested that the school do a full and comprehensive evaluation so that we could finally figure out what was going on. When we saw her writing posted up on the wall outside of her classroom, it was noticeably below that of her peers despite the effort of her, us, a tutor and her teacher. We were denied an evaluation by the local screening committee due to her being close to grade level and making progress. We walked away completely defeated. She continued to pass literacy benchmarks, receive high marks on her progress reports and cling to grade level, and we continued to prop her up. Although her teachers wanted her to succeed and worked hard to make sure she did, they did not have the tools to catch her and provide the proper interventions that she needed. As we entered second grade, it became clear that she was falling further behind her peers and that we may no longer be able to prop her up on our own. Her self esteem began to tumble, she began to have problems with peers and we no longer saw that same little girl who loved school. We were left with no option but to pay thousands of dollars for private testing. As we suspected, the testing confirmed that she had learning differences. We were happy to finally know, but sadly we lost those precious years that should have been spent on early intervention. I share our story in hopes that our struggle may help all children, especially those without the resources to do it on their own. If we didn’t have the ability to pay for a tutor, pay for private testing and an educational advocate, I fear our situation may have been different. It is heartbreaking to think about how many kids are going through school thinking they are not smart when in fact it is the system that is broken. We know that Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and this legislation will be the safety net that our children deserve. Proper remediation in these early years may just change their life.

I urge members to support HB1865. If this bill becomes law I hope it will prevent students from having my daughter's experience. She is a bright, hard working student who wasn't diagnosed with dyslexia until her junior year of high school. It brings me to tears to think of all the frustration she went through as an undiagnosed dyslexic. She missed out on so many interventions because she could pass PALS but struggled with reading. I feel like she will always struggle because of the missed opportunities. Sincerely, Sarah Goodell

Reading issues should be identified as early as possible. Designation of a reading disability was continually denied for my child. Providing adequate training an resources is crucial to help develop teacher who can identify and resolve issues as early possible. Thank you for supporting this bill. Jodi Remer

I have spent the last 17 years of my career teaching kindergarten and first grade students and I’m currently in the process of becoming a reading specialist. I’ve always been a proponent for best practices, especially when it comes to early literacy and building that strong foundation for future reading success. The Science of Reading is a body of research that has emerged from multiple disciplines, such as cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics. The findings from thousands of research studies over the last 40+ years have taught us how the brain learns to read and write, and why some students experience difficulty. This research has revealed that reading doesn't come naturally. The human brain isn't wired to read. Kids must be explicitly taught how to connect sounds with letters — and that can be accomplished by implementing curriculum and intervention programs that are backed by the Science of Reading. Unfortunately, the Science of Reading often does not make it into the hands of those who need it most. Many teachers have never been trained in this approach and we often lack the necessary resources. We deserve access to the most scientifically sound set of knowledge and skills to ensure students achieve their literacy potential. I believe HB 1865 will help ensure that all students throughout the Commonwealth have access to reading instruction that is aligned with the Science of Reading. Requiring the Department of Education to compile and provide every locality with a list of materials, resources, and curriculum programs that are supported by the Science of Reading is a critical first step. We have a long way to go to improve literacy outcomes for all children, but the time is rife with potential. We must stop doing what doesn’t work, and we must dismiss outdated practices based on misconceptions about the process of reading. Right now many of our children are not proficient readers. But, we can change that and deliver on the promise of literacy for all. Please vote “yes” on HB 1865.

My son had reading issues starting in Kindergarten and was placed in a reading group and made minimal progress. He wasn’t identified as dyslexic until the end of second grade at which point I hired a private tutor to teach him how to read utilizing a program that was based on the science of reading. As a result he made significant gains. We lost 3 YEARS because they were not using evidence based instruction. We need instruction that is based on the science of reading so we don’t leave students behind. In addition, it seems obvious but I guess you need to create this law that parents are notified of their child’s reading issues.

his to let you know that the Virginia Association of School Superintendents has serious concerns with HB 1865. We do not feel that a specific mode of instruction should be listed in the Code of Virginia. Reading instruction continues to be an evolving process and requiring the sole use of the Orton-Gillingham methodology could limit further efforts in this process. Thank you, Dr. Tom Smith VASS

As an Education Advocate, who specializes in serving children with dyslexia, I work daily with parents and school staff to address the unique needs of these bright and capable students who struggle each and every day to show what they know in school. Some of you may be familiar with 'dyslexia,' but many parents, school staff and educational leaders are not. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability there is and it is estimated to affect "1 in 5" students or up to 20% of the population in Virginia. Unfortunately, this represents a lot of kids in a lot of our schools ... and dyslexia doesn't just affect our children. Virginia's teachers are frustrated, and guilt ridden by their lack of ability to teach these students and have openly admitted that they don't have the resources they need to help the 2 - 4 kids in each of their classrooms who simply can't learn like everyone else. You might be thinking, if these are bright and capable children, then why are they struggling? After all, we have some of the best teachers in our state and that is true. However, most of our public school teachers have never received the specialized training they need to teach children with dyslexia. This is because most teachers use a balanced literacy or 'whole language' approach to teach students how to read as this is the curriculum that has been provided for them by their school district. Unfortunately, these methods have been proven to be ineffective for dyslexic students and other struggling readers. So, without proper teacher training, our well-intentioned staff ultimately end up referring their "non-readers" for a special education evaluation or using an inappropriate reading intervention. Costing both the teacher and the student precious time... The good news is that some of our state education leaders, like Dr. James Lane, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the VA Dept. of Education, are already aware of the actions required to improve literacy instruction across the state. In fact, after sharing compelling data about our overall state reading scores during the Early Literacy Summit, Superintendent Lane stated that the goal for improving literacy in Virginia is dependent upon school districts implementing structured literacy instruction. Fortunately, structured literacy is research based to be effective for students with dyslexia and all other struggling readers! Superintendent Lane's vision includes a comprehensive reading program, based on the science of reading, that would include an explicit, systematic approach to teaching students to read. Because I am also the parent of a high school student who was missed by the school system's literacy benchmark tests years ago and has struggled with dyslexia his entire educational career, I implore you to support this life changing legislation. It is imperative that Virginia follow the direction of our state Superintendent and determine how to implement structured literacy instruction for ALL students. Delegate Delaney's bill, HB1865 will help make this possible. For many of our kids, a life of illiteracy results in higher school dropout rates, an increased use of drugs and alcohol as well as unexpected suicides. Please vote to pass HB1865 so that we can change the future of literacy in our state. Thank you- Lorraine Hightower

I am writing in support of this bill. I am a parent of a 3rd grader. My child has been 2 grades below in reading since kindergarten. Although identified by PALS testing as needing extra support, the tutoring she received at school never caught her up. During the pandemic, we were able to provide our own Orton Gillingham tutoring for her and she is now on grade level. This bill would allow children, and 1 in 5 have dyslexia, to receive science based reading instruction regardless of their parents resources. Our experience showed us our child was ready and eager to learn, she just needed a specific, science based methodology (Orton Gillingham) in order to succeed.

Regarding HB 1929, Standards of Quality; work-based learning and principal mentorship, teacher leaders and mentors: -- As a parent of a child in the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) district in Southwest Virginia, HB1929 is a *TOP* priority bill that I want to see moved to a vote, passed, and signed into law this 2021 session. -- MCPS is one of Virginia's high-poverty school districts and we absolutely need the SOQs to be fully funded to increase funds for: the Equity Fund, school counselors to ensure at *least* one counselor for every 250 students, and to increase funding for English Learner students. --As a parent and community member, I have seen myself, and heard from other parents about the lack of student support from early elementary through secondary schools due to lack of funding for Support Staff, especially qualified school counselors. -- As a parent I have also seen the detrimental effects of low teacher support. If we want to succeed as a commonwealth, and if we want our children to succeed in their education and their lives, one of the *BEST* investments we can make is in their education. --Please pass HB1929 with all components and support it for vote in the General Assembly. Regarding HB1905 from Cole, this is a simple bill that is important to improve economic education and financial literacy in our secondary schools. With a child in secondary school, it's critical that students are taught about the current implications of today's employment arrangements that they may already be entered into, or that they will soon after graduation. Regarding HB1865 - Delaney Reading skills are critical to all subjects. This bill looks to provide targeted, evidence-based intervention resources as needed which is extremely important to ensure Virginia students succeed. Regarding HB1826 and HB1827 - Austin, it makes a great deal of sense to me to ensure that the Virginia Board of Education includes at least one member specializing in the areas noted in the bill, which are important to successful management of state education and student success. For HB1827 -- it is important that Geographical representation of members of the Virginia BOE include a representative from each region of Virginia. Often, areas like southwest VA and others are left out of such boards entirely.

Good Morning, My name is Melinda Mansfield. I am writing to request your support for HB 1865. Something missing from our Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI) is a deep look into what the intervention and remediation includes and who is giving it. Currently, there are no standards for EIRI instruction and no way of knowing what intervention is being provided (if any) and by whom. As a result, it does not align to Federal Law for the Essential Components of Reading Instruction (ECORI) from ESSA or to the principals and understandings of the Science of Reading. This bill helps to support those efforts. EIRI has been in effect since 1997 hoping to catch children who are at-risk for a reading disability early and provide them with appropriate instruction for remediation. Over the last 10 years, more than $209 million in EIRI funds has been distributed to districts for reading intervention. However, instead of decreasing the number of children with significant reading deficiencies (defined by our 3rd grade reading SOL scores and 4th grade NAEP scores), we have found that the number of children demonstrating reading deficiencies has substantially increased. In an effort to control for this failure, The Virginia Board of Education allowed students “retakes” starting in Spring of 2015 and has also, artificially increased the SOL pass rates for accountability by “re-benchmarking” and lowering the “cut rate” of the Reading SOL assessments. Even so, the 3rd grade Reading SOL fail rate, of 25%, in 2015 has increased every year and is now up to 30% (2019). We all know that the pandemic will make these numbers even worse. It is time to act swiftly with what we know is evidenced-based to help our students learn how to read, handwrite, write, and spell proficiently. 80+ years of research has shown that the evidence-based way to help all our students is with code-based instructional practice, a structured literacy approach, which is also known as the science of reading. Superintendent Lane has called upon all districts to align their instruction with the science of reading. The first step is effective screening, which should then lead to early intervention by a certified or licensed interventionist providing evidence-based instruction. It is critical that EIRI remediation is effective and that reading interventionists K-3 utilize the key components of effective reading instruction which is explicit, systematic, sequential and cumulative instruction in phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and text comprehension. Parents should be notified, in writing, of the screener scores and of the intervention plan. This bill also requires that VDOE help school districts and the public identify the literacy products and curriculum for core and intervention programming, to include computer and blended literacy programs, by objectively reviewing these products and discerning which ones align to the science of reading and in what areas (e.g., phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, text comprehension). Districts can sometimes succumb to public relations tactics for curriculum and literacy products and this can be detrimental to their students, teachers, and budget. Please vote yes to HB 1865. We must do better with our literacy instruction, overall, and with remediation for our at-risk students. Thank you for your time, Melinda Mansfield robnmel@me.com

My son was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven. That was eighteen years ago and the evaluation was worth every penny. Today I answer thousands of phone calls a year for a large psychology practice known for its expertise in learning disabilities and mental health. I hear the voices of parents sounding exactly like I did almost two decades ago. Some days, I just don’t understand why parents haven't been informed by their schools as I hear them provide details that spell out warning signs for dyslexia. Parents tell me that they have asked about the reading in kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and so on. The parents blame themselves for not knowing their children had a significant reading issue. At the onset of COVID-19, these calls started coming in at a much higher rate. Parents were sitting inches away from their children in a virtual classroom. They heard the reading struggle and were concerned about future learning. I hear the sense of urgency in the parent’s voices and almost defeat every day. We need to do more to identify, remediate, and notify parents at the start when they are flagged as at-risk as early as kindergarten and first grade. Parents continue to ask what can be done next because they have not been informed. The language of HB1865 addresses many of these questions, by setting an earlier timeline for parent notification, progress monitoring throughout services, specifying for trained volunteers, and reading specialists for remediation. HB1865 also specifies that training for these volunteers and reading specialists be aligned with the components of the science of reading and structured literacy. HB1865 asks that the Department of Education compile and provide each school division a list of materials, resources, and curriculum that are supported in the science of reading. Virginia's reading rates have dropped in previous years and within this year of virtual learning, reading scores will surely plunge. We need to do more to reverse the current trend of our reading scores. The science of reading has been known for sixty years so let’s bring it to our children from the start. I won’t mind if it reduces the number of calls where I work. Thank you, Joan Rizek

Good afternoon, Delegates of the House Education SOL and SOQ subcommittee, My name is Shannon Duncan and I am a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. My passion for support for students with dyslexia began 9 years ago when my daughter was privately diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD in 3rd grade. Carter struggled to learn to read, unlike her older siblings. She was not identified in kindergarten, nor was she remediated by her school district. When I initiated an evaluation in third grade, she was 2 years behind her peers in reading level and her self esteem was obliterated. If Carter had been identified early and been part of the at-risk population that received EIRI funded intervention based in the Science of Reading, she could have begun to learn the foundational skills of reading and may never have fallen so far behind her peers, taking an enormous toll on her social and emotional mental health. Instead, she was pulled from her classroom to read poetry with a volunteer. I was never informed of the 'intervention'. Delegate Delaney's bill, HB1865, will ensure that our Virginia school districts will have guidance regarding the use of EIRI funds for reading intervention that is based in the Science of Reading. Effective instruction is critical for students who struggle to learn to read. With this bill supporting the Science of Reading, which is a critical component in Dr. James Lane's '7 Steps to Literacy for Virginia Students' blueprint, we could be another step closer to ALL children learning to read. I appreciate your commitment to education and helping to create positive change for children like my daughter. Please feel free to reach out with questions at shannonbduncan@gmail.com. Best regards, Shannon Duncan Decoding Dyslexia Virginia (703) 967-0478

Please give my children the option of in-person instruction , while allowing others choice to remain virtual. Please support early reading intervention for certain students. My 13-year old son has struggled since kindergarten to learn to read and write. In second grade, I requested the school screen him for additional support. At the time he was denied because he was deemed to be successful enough. With this year's closure of schools I saw his continuing struggles first-hand. With independent screening, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Early intervention would have saved him *years* of struggle. Please do not reduce the Standards of Learning assessments. We need to have specific, measureable metrics that indicate the impact to learning of the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

The Virginia PTA supports the passage of HB1905. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) many students leave school with limited proficiency in understanding the impact of financial tools, such as credit cards, FICO scores, compound interest rates, and fiscal responsibility. Additionally, many students leave college with significant student loan debt and often lack background knowledge in long-term financial growth, investments and retirement planning. Virginia PTA strongly supports education opportunities that teach students financial planning and budget balancing techniques. We urge you to pass HB1905 to modernize the inclusion of financial literacy in the curriculum standards.

The Virginia Society of CPAs has long supported inclusion of economics and personal finance education requirements for Virginia students. HB 1905 enhances and modernizes the learning objectives of the requirement in alignment with current trends in employment. Accordingly, we support this legislation.

The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce supports this measure which should instill in our students a more complete picture of employment options once graduated from high school. Please vote "yes" on HB 1905.

Regarding HB 1929, Standards of Quality; work-based learning and principal mentorship, teacher leaders and mentors: -- As a parent of a child in the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) district in Southwest Virginia, HB1929 is a *TOP* priority bill that I want to see moved to a vote, passed, and signed into law this 2021 session. -- MCPS is one of Virginia's high-poverty school districts and we absolutely need the SOQs to be fully funded to increase funds for: the Equity Fund, school counselors to ensure at *least* one counselor for every 250 students, and to increase funding for English Learner students. --As a parent and community member, I have seen myself, and heard from other parents about the lack of student support from early elementary through secondary schools due to lack of funding for Support Staff, especially qualified school counselors. -- As a parent I have also seen the detrimental effects of low teacher support. If we want to succeed as a commonwealth, and if we want our children to succeed in their education and their lives, one of the *BEST* investments we can make is in their education. --Please pass HB1929 with all components and support it for vote in the General Assembly. Regarding HB1905 from Cole, this is a simple bill that is important to improve economic education and financial literacy in our secondary schools. With a child in secondary school, it's critical that students are taught about the current implications of today's employment arrangements that they may already be entered into, or that they will soon after graduation. Regarding HB1865 - Delaney Reading skills are critical to all subjects. This bill looks to provide targeted, evidence-based intervention resources as needed which is extremely important to ensure Virginia students succeed. Regarding HB1826 and HB1827 - Austin, it makes a great deal of sense to me to ensure that the Virginia Board of Education includes at least one member specializing in the areas noted in the bill, which are important to successful management of state education and student success. For HB1827 -- it is important that Geographical representation of members of the Virginia BOE include a representative from each region of Virginia. Often, areas like southwest VA and others are left out of such boards entirely.

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

It is absolutely imperative that Virginia's education Standards of Quality be updated now. The gap that is access to equitable educational opportunity for K-12 students has continued to grow since the last time the SOQs were updated 12 years ago. But the drastic changes that have occurred in the last year to education have exacerbated and accelerated the inequality in Virginia's K-12 schools and grown to become a chasm. The school Equity and Staffing Act would go a long way to reducing this chasm and restoring an equitable educational opportunity to ALL K-12 schools and students in the Commonwealth by: • Adding new funds for high-poverty schools through the Equity Fund. Students in high poverty schools receive an average of $205 less than students in low poverty schools. These are the students that live in higher stress situations and require more funding to educate. In the decade between 2009 and 2019, Virginia's school support staff declined between 2009 and 2019 by 2,800 positions while student enrollment increased by more than 57,000 students. • Increase funding for school counselors to ensure there is one counselor for every 250 students. Student/child mental health issues are more prevalent than ever. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation are extremely high and quick access to trained school counselors will help provide some to this crisis. School counselor caseloads have increased from the recommended 250 students per counselor to 300-360 per counselor. • Increase funding for English Learner students based on proficiency. This will ensure a more equitable and successful outcome for ELL students. Virginia's students have the right to a high-quality education. At current levels of school funding, our Commonwealth does not give ALL of Virginia's students equitable opportunity to achieve their full potential. Our state's long term underinvestment of its students will have damaging implications for their future. It's time! Please Fund the School Equity and Staffing Act. Fund Our Schools. Thank you.

The Virginia First Cities Coalition (VFC) is supportive of HB 1929. A fundamental principle of the 16 member cities of VFC is that all children deserve the same opportunity to succeed. Equity and a focus on teacher mentors and ensuring that all students have teachers that look like them, teachers that have a practicum of experience and training to teach in at-risk schools, and principals that are equipped to lead are desperately needed asap. This is why the VFC has been focused on these issues for many years. The Virginia First Cities Coalition asks the General Assembly to prioritize and accelerate its focus on transforming schools with high numbers of children coming from economically challenged backgrounds. The equity fund in Del. Aird's bill is extremely important to our members, as is the full funding of the Standards of Quality and removing the support cap. To this end, VFC urges passage of HB 1929 and to recognize and fund the true costs of public education. Virginia’s public schools rely more on local governments to fund their budgets than all but nine other states in the country, resulting in one of the most regressive funding structures in the nation. Virginia spends much less per student in our highest poverty communities than in our wealthiest ones. Removing the support staff cap will be a huge step in the right direction. For all these reasons, Virginia First Cities asks you to please SUPPORT HB 1929.

Funding our schools has been a critical need for too long. The Equity Fund would ensure that Virginia does more to support our high poverty schools - disrupting an unequal, unjust system so that all students, especially Black and Brown students, can reach their full potential. Increasing the number of counselors to ensure 1 per 250 students ratio is long overdue. Fund our schools.

*Competitive education programs with clear objectives to follow. *Great leaders in command in Education, competitive leaders in the area *Coordinators for the different areas within the campus *High-level Tutorial Programs, with highly trained staff from the ethical point of view to guide the students and accompany them in the "education" process and who as great leaders motivate until the end of their studies, participating in the ethical training of each student in their charge. *Family support programs, which allow the identification of any relevant problem in these times of great changes in each student, in order to be able to attend adequately and in a timely manner so as not to allow the total surrender of the student or her studies.

I am writing in support of the School Equity and Staffing Act. I am a retired educator having taught in schools in Newport News. Year after year I was dismayed when faculty and administrators received and analyzed Standards of Learning results to see that in our hands so many children who had entered our school system already behind would leave school still behind their wealthier peers. Adopting and fully funding the School Equity and Staffing Act is necessary to meet the Commonwealth's duty to ensure that all of our students receive a high quality education. For example, according to a report by EdBuild in 2019 high poverty nonwhite school districts in VA spend $205 less per student than low poverty white districts when experts tell us it can cost as much as 40% more to educate a student in poverty. This act could make up that disparity. This Act would also provide support of comprehensive school counseling programs. The ideal caseload should not exceed 250 students but in the past decade VA school counselors have seen from 300-600 students annually. Finally, i have seen first hand the importance of instructional and support staff in education. Since the 2008-2009 school year there has been a harmful and profound drop off in state funding for these vital positions which passage and funding of this act could mitigate. I don't have to tell you that the COVID pandemic and the necessity of virtual learning has disproportionately disrupted education of poor students and students of color. So, another layer of injustice has been added to these students' lives through no fault of their own. I ask your due diligence for all students in Virginia. Students have a right to a high-quality education. To paraphrase Dr. King, "Justice delayed is justice denied."

I am a mother of two brilliant children with special needs. My oldest (12 years old) has been in Chesterfield county public schools since kindergarten and has a 504 plan that since created when he was 4 years old. Our school division has covered up my son’s dyslexia for 4 years now. They’ve ignored all outside providers recommendations for his education. He was evaluated in March of 2020 and tested on kindergarten and first grade levels for reading and comprehending and while the school division has had several meetings with us regarding these test results, they are still not willing to give my child and IEP or give any accommodations that would aid in my child thriving. We need justice for our most vulnerable students. Please stand with us to create a more meaningful and equitable future for all of our children.

Public Comment In Support of HB 1929 As a first-generation Hispanic American student living in Southwest Virginia, I am in full support of passing HB 1929 which will fully fund the SOQ’s set by the BOE. It is of dior importance and has extreme significance to me and my future. I plan on sitting in the same seat that you are someday, but last year there wasn’t a seat available in the cafeteria after two tables breaking at my high school. Why should my education be affected by my zip code? Why should the quality of my life be affected by it as well? I’m a straight A student with high functioning autism and anxiety. School was a challenge for me, not academically, but socially and mentally. I needed a support system but was saddened to see a staff so overworked that I felt greedy asking for more of their time and energy. I’ve been blessed with the best teachers who would dedicate their family time, their time of worship, and their private time to their pupils. However, they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their hours in a day simply because our schools are understaffed. With the education that you acquired in public school, can you name ONE Hispanic person that contributed to the betterment of our nation? How about five? As a first generation Mexican-American, this had an impact on my self esteem and confidence. It made me feel like people who look like me could never accomplish the same things that people who look like you have. It made me believe that I could never contribute to the betterment of our nation. For this reason and many others, I fully support the SOQ’s established by the BOE that will be funded by HB 1929. We need a better education and one of diversity. So, I am here now, writing to you, because I’ve decided that I will be one of the faces that’ll help make our country better, and that starts locally and with this bill. So I am asking you to please invest in my life and the lives of so many other students who all have hopes and dreams for their futures, dreams that shouldn’t feel impossible to us when you can make them possible by fully supporting HB 1929.

I am writing in support of HB1929. It is far past time to fully and equitably fund the least resourced schools across our state. Our students deserve better and the livelihood of our communities depend on adequate funding, counselors that are not overworked and underpaid, and resources for those most in need. I am a graduate of Richmond Public Schools. Even with the most loving teachers and counselors, who supported me in everything I did, we still struggled for basic needs like technology and textbooks that weren't old and outdated or having enough mental health support staff in school. As the parent of a. young man with autism, I can tell you that now, more than ever, it is of utmost importance that this bill fund our futures - our babies, who have been slammed by this pandemic and have been forced to fall even further behind the curve for the safety of all of us. I worry that without this bill, they may never recover and be provided the resources they need to catch back up once schools reopen. Please fund what's important - our support staff, our counselors and teachers, our young people - please fully fund our futures! Thank you for your time.

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

My name is Patrice Smallwood and I am a member of the Norfolk Chapter of Virginia Organizing. I am proud to share that I attended Norfolk Public Schools from grade school to high school and I am grateful for my education, which is why school funding is of the utmost importance to me. I have a great passion for empowering young people in my community; helping them recognize their purpose and power and reach their fullest potential. Therefore, the purpose for my comment is to call on the General Assembly to support and fund the School Equity and Staffing Act [HB-1929]. School funding in Virginia has suffered for far too long. High-poverty communities and communities of color have struggled in the face of decreased funding, ultimately creating major inequities in educational opportunities across Virginia. A parent should never be forced to relocate to a different district or city, simply so they can enroll their child in a school with more funding, more staff and more resources. As a long-time youth leader in the Norfolk community, I am disheartened and angered when I observe students in some divisions receiving less funding and staffing than others. This is not only a moral issue, but it is a justice issue. On this day, we celebrate and commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I glean from Dr. King and assert that today, we are indeed facing the fierce urgency of now. The pandemic, coupled with the civil unrest and division in our nation, has created emotional wounds in many Americans. I ask you to consider the emotional traumas affecting our students, who have witnessed first-hand this world’s tragedies, injustices and insurrection. The need for a comprehensive counseling program in ALL Virginia schools is critical, it is urgent. This is the reason why it is even more imperative that you fund the School Equity and Staffing Act. There is a serious need for increased school funding for adequate teachers, staff, counselors, social workers and all other necessary staff personnel to effectively handle such traumas. Do not turn a blind eye, for every students’ education matters and they all deserve the right to a high-quality education so they may become the future leaders of this nation.

Virginia PTA's 175,000 members stand with many other education associations and advocacy groups in calling on the General Assembly to fund the Standards of Quality as prescribed by the Board of Education. As discussed for many years the Commonwealth has a teacher retention problem. Additionally, the number of economically disadvantaged students, English language learner students and students with disabilities has increased resulting in an increased need for support staff like reading specialists, english language learner teachers and mental health specialists. The Standards of Quality are designed to provide students with an equitable level of opportunity no matter where they live in Virginia. The current model of relying on local governments to exceed the low bar set by the General Assembly has not been successful. It has created wide disparities across the state that have been amplified by COVID-19. We recognize that this is a fiscally challenging year, however, safely re-opening our schools, addressing pandemic learning loss and supporting teachers in a challenging and new instructional environment demands a uniform standard of staffing and funding across the Commonwealth. Now is not the time to falter. Now is the time to double down. Strong, well-supported public schools are vital for our children, our families, and our economy. Virginia PTA urges you to implement the recommendations made by the Board of Education and pass HB1929.

I support HB1929 to equitably fund our public schools. Virginia must stop kicking education funding can down the road, and provide a high quality public education for all of Virginia's students. We should not accept disparities due to zip code. Virginia has lost a lot of ground in education funding since the Great Recession. We must prioritize correcting that slide. Please pass this bill.

I urge the members of the committee to enact and fully fund the changes indicated in HB1929, regarding the hiring and placement of personnel in our public schools. These measures are critical to reduce the inequities in our poorest districts and those with the largest populations of at-risk students.

The right to a quality education should not be based on socio-economic status. All students, regardless of background, deserve to have an education that will help them succeed. Students in high poverty areas are currently suffering from under-funding. They are not afforded the same resources and opportunities as students in low poverty areas. Our government is responsible for providing equitable access to quality education. The General Assembly needs to act on that responsibility by passing the School Equity and Staffing Act (HB1929 and SB1257). This bill will ensure the proper staffing and resources needed for students to do well. It will provide all students across the commonwealth with a quality education. Let’s show our students that we care about them and give them the quality education they ALL deserve.

I am a resident of Washington County and a professor at Emory & Henry College. Many students from this area matriculate to E&H, and I love having these local students in my classes. They enter, though, without having some of the supports that students from larger, more resourced areas such as Northern Virginia have enjoyed, such as a variety of AP classes, a broad knowledge of many different computer programs, and even the support of staff in counseling and career counseling. Some students only have dial up at home--in 2021! In order for these students to be competitive in a national, if not global marketplace of ideas, we need to increase funding to support their educational success. I urge you to fund the School Equity and Staffing Act to give our students, and our teachers and schools, the resources they need and deserve to be successful.

Voices for Virginia's Children supports the School Equity and Staffing Act because it is time to fund an equitable education for all children across the state. All children deserve the best starting point in life and that begins with an educational system well-resourced to meet children's social-emotional, developmental and intellectual needs. Building off the key funding needs identified by the Board of Education in 2019 the Act would provide equitable resources to high-poverty school divisions, provide adequate school counselors and increase resources for English-language learner students.

I wish to submit my support for the adoption of HB1929 and SB1257 to fully fund the school equity and staffing act. My research of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) shows that in 2016 Virginia spent $171,588.00 to incarcerate a youth for one year while data from EdBuild for 2019 shows Virginia spent $10,796.00 to $11,001.00 to educate a student. It seems to me that if we are sincere about stopping the downward spiral of illiteracy and lack of education that contributes to the increase in crimes as children get older, that we must look at policies that will support this. Our money is much better invested in funding a school curriculum that allows for the development of a truly beneficial educational curriculum; creates billets for more in-school counselors, smaller class sizes and special needs identification counselors. Data shows that we have made an industry out of confining our children. I would like to see the detention workforce retrained in educational areas that would allow them to work in the enlightening of our children rather than the incarceration and crippling of our children.

I am writing in support of fully funding the School's Equity and Staffing Act. As a teacher in Richmond City for 20 years, I have been part of the teaching force who has been continually been asked to do more with less. Teacher are consistently asked to fill the role of teacher, counselor, nurse, office assistant, social worker. The load is HEAVY. We do not have the support in the classroom to meet the needs of extensive needs of our students. We can not do it alone. However, we are constantly being asked because there is no one else. We are alone. Not only do we worry about students' academics we worry about our students' lives, well being, physical health , safety and mental health. This has only been compounded by the events of this past year. The pandemic has shown us many gross inequalities in our current educational system. Black and brown children across the Commonwealth have suffered most through the events in the past year. Now more than ever it is time to fund our schools to meet the demands of what it is ahead of us, post-pandemic. Teachers and districts have been "making do" since the recession of 2009. We have not had our funding levels restored in 11 years and now we are faced with another challenge: post-pandemic education. Will you continue to tell us to "make do"? When will you decide our students and schools are valued? When will you put us first? Our schools and communities have struggled long enough. If we don't meet the challenges that the years ahead of us are presenting, our students will suffer, our communities will suffer. School divisions are doing their best to meet the growing needs, but the reality is our highest need districts need more wrap around supports. We need help. It is time to meet the challenges. We can't do so without fully funded schools that are staffed with teachers, support personnel and counselors. It is past time for this.

Support HB1929. To fund SOQ proposals from Board of Education including to increase funding to localities for assistant principals and to fund new principal and teacher mentors.

I am a professor at James Madison University asking you to support education in Virginia by funding the School Equity and Staffing Act. The Standards of Quality issued by the Virginia Board of Education must be adopted and fully funded in order to give our students the chance to realize their potential. Overwhelmed counselors in understaffed schools cannot provide the support students need. We need to invest in our future. Please make this choice today.

Our Constitution requires that we provide equitable and high-quality schools. Our Board of Education determines the specifics of what schools should provide to meet this standard. If the General Assembly fails to fund the Standards of Quality, they are violating the Virginia Constitution. For far too long Virginia schools have been hamstrung by poor funding, which often leaves localities scrambling year after year. Support staff in schools play important roles in the success of our children. We are already seeing shortages in these positions across the commonwealth, and we do not expect this to improve without significant changes in the structuring of their pay and benefits. Additionally, this bill allows full funding for school counselors, in order to bring student to counselor ratios down across the Commonwealth. Educators, parents, news pundits and lawmakers have spent a HUGE amount of time discussing student mental health in 2020. Refusing to fully fund positions that are integral to providing mental health services for children would be in complete opposition to the statewide narrative detailing just how essential public education services are to improving students’ mental health. Educators are tired of the empty promises and the quick band-aid fix. It is imperative that the General Assembly meet their constitutional responsibility to review and fund the revisions prescribed by the BOE during the 2021 legislative session. Our public schools are our greatest public democratic institution and they are hanging on by a thread. It’s time to fund our schools!

Please support the bill HB1929 to approve equitable funding to school in Virginia. Thank you.

Please support funding for high poverty schools in our region. I live in Harrisonburg and work with Waynesboro High School community members as well. Children in both communities need schools to have additional funding to meet the many needs that existed before the pandemic. Certainly, since the pandemic started these social/economic issues have become more pronounced. In our region, it is especially important to meet the academic needs of low-income ESL students whose families have borne the burden of parents being essential workers and high exposure rates attributable to pandemic exposure. Please further support the definition of "counselors" to include professional social workers who work directly with low-income families to support school participation. Counselors often suggest guidance counselors whose roles have changed over the years to prioritize course scheduling rather than addressing the social and behavioral ills facing students. Please support HB 1929 to better fund our schools for those most in need.

HB1929 is about more than funding our poorest schools in the Commonwealth. It is about backing our most valuable asset: our students. Our students will be the ones who will help create better public health practices to prevent future pandemics from ravaging communities all across America. Our students will be the people fighting to keep our country safe when both external and internal threats threaten our national security. Our students will be the leaders to take charge of the next civil rights movement, guaranteeing freedom, and equity for all people. When we invest in our youth, we are investing in our own futures. We are telling our young people that we believe in them, and because of that belief, we are boldly choosing to invest in them. I know how it feels to walk into schools feeling like I am just being pushed through a system designed for me to accomplish the bare minimum. I know what it feels like to wonder why the books I'm required to read are ripped and faded. I know what it feels like to experience a collective trauma with peers, to then be met with no support system in the form of a grief counselor. The racial wealth gap that Black and Latinx Virginians experience is the direct result of unequal access to quality education. When in one district, $7 million middle schools can be built, while other districts are scrambling to find even school bus drivers - we have a problem. We cannot espouse that we want all Virginians to live a life of freedom, access, and opportunity when one of the most basic rights - the right to quality education - is narrowly restricted based on the 5 numbers that sit at the end of your address. We can do more. Our children deserve more. Our schools deserve more. We deserve more. We can make this a political argument, getting caught up in party lines or divisive rhetoric that distracts from the issues, or we can be actionable. We can show aspiring young leaders in the Commonwealth that the people they count on to work in their best interest, are doing just that. A vote in favor of HB1929 is a vote in favor of all Virginians.

This comment is submitted on behalf of the Fund Our Schools coalition, an advocacy collective made up of 18 Virginia-based organizations who believe that every child in every zip code across the Commonwealth of Virginia should have access to a high-quality public education. The School Equity and Staffing Act is one of the most significant steps toward education equity in Virginia in decades. This bill codifies the Standards of Quality prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education, which has spent more than a year reviewing the resource needs of Virginia’s public schools. It makes investments in new staffing standards for school counselors and other vital school support staff, additional funding for high-poverty school divisions through the Equity Fund, increased educator staffing for English Learner students, new teacher mentorship and leadership opportunities, and other priorities tailored toward reaching equity in education in the Commonwealth. We have a school funding crisis in the Commonwealth. While we’ve made some progress on targeted new investments in the last decade, lawmakers have not restored funding from cuts made in the wake of the Great Recession, and Virginia is still down since 2009 in per pupil state expenditure for K-12 students. Virginia is a top 10 state for median household income, but JLARC puts us at 40th out of all states for state per pupil expenditure. We have the least competitive teacher salary in the country compared to other adults with bachelor degrees, according to the Economic Policy Institute. When it comes to funding effort and levels for schools, the Education Law Center gives Virginia a “D” grade. Our school funding crisis is a racial, social, and economic justice issue. After the Great Recession, students in higher-poverty communities saw the biggest funding reductions in their schools. Recent education research indicates that reductions in school spending during the Great Recession coincided with declines in test scores and college-going rates, and test score impacts were larger for children in neighborhoods with higher poverty rates. The spending cuts also widened disparities in test scores between Black and white students. Virginia will not achieve education equity without making large, bold, and ongoing new investments in its public education system. The School Equity and Staffing Act represents the minimum investment we need for fulfilling our constitutional promise that every child in Virginia will have access to a high-quality free public education. An entire generation of students has now moved through our K-12 system under austere cuts made more than a decade ago. It’s time to make bold investments using all available resources, including existing and new sources of revenue.

Regarding HB 1929, Standards of Quality; work-based learning and principal mentorship, teacher leaders and mentors: -- As a parent of a child in the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) district in Southwest Virginia, HB1929 is a *TOP* priority bill that I want to see moved to a vote, passed, and signed into law this 2021 session. -- MCPS is one of Virginia's high-poverty school districts and we absolutely need the SOQs to be fully funded to increase funds for: the Equity Fund, school counselors to ensure at *least* one counselor for every 250 students, and to increase funding for English Learner students. --As a parent and community member, I have seen myself, and heard from other parents about the lack of student support from early elementary through secondary schools due to lack of funding for Support Staff, especially qualified school counselors. -- As a parent I have also seen the detrimental effects of low teacher support. If we want to succeed as a commonwealth, and if we want our children to succeed in their education and their lives, one of the *BEST* investments we can make is in their education. --Please pass HB1929 with all components and support it for vote in the General Assembly. Regarding HB1905 from Cole, this is a simple bill that is important to improve economic education and financial literacy in our secondary schools. With a child in secondary school, it's critical that students are taught about the current implications of today's employment arrangements that they may already be entered into, or that they will soon after graduation. Regarding HB1865 - Delaney Reading skills are critical to all subjects. This bill looks to provide targeted, evidence-based intervention resources as needed which is extremely important to ensure Virginia students succeed. Regarding HB1826 and HB1827 - Austin, it makes a great deal of sense to me to ensure that the Virginia Board of Education includes at least one member specializing in the areas noted in the bill, which are important to successful management of state education and student success. For HB1827 -- it is important that Geographical representation of members of the Virginia BOE include a representative from each region of Virginia. Often, areas like southwest VA and others are left out of such boards entirely.

I am a retired social worker and I want to express my support for HB1929. If the last 4 years have taught us anything, it is the consequence of inadequate education. If citizens don’t understand science, they don’t wear masks and get vaccinated. If they don’t have critical thinking skills they believe lies because they don’t understand evidence. As the saying goes, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Well we have! And here we are. The investment in education that followed Sputnik in 1956 turned America into the intellectual powerhouse that fueled the space program, the technology revolution and the greatest prosperity in human history. But now we have become an ‘also ran’ nation of lazy minded fuzzy thinkers because we don’t believe in education anymore. If you want to renew the country and commit to a future of prosperity and world leadership a serious financial investment in the education of our children is essential.

Students have the right to a high-quality education. At current levels of school funding, our Commonwealth simply doesn’t give them an opportunity to achieve their full potential. Our underinvestment of our students today will have damaging implications for their future. Fund the School Equity and Staffing Act. Fund Our Schools. According to a report by EdBuild in 2019, high-poverty nonwhite school districts in Virginia have $10,796 per student, whereas low poverty white school districts have $11,001 per student—$205 less. Experts note it can cost as much as 40% more to educate a student in poverty than a student not in poverty. • For students to receive the full benefits of a comprehensive school counseling program, school counselors’ caseloads should not exceed 250 students. The average student caseload for school counselors in Virginia has grown from 300 to 360 students over the past decade, with caseloads in some schools reaching more than 1,000 students per counselor. • Instructional and support staff play vital roles in the safety and success of students. Yet since the 2008- 2009 school year, there has been a profound drop-off in state investment for support staff positions. In 2009, during the Great Recession, lawmakers added language to the budget creating a “cap” on support staff funding, cutting hundreds of millions in state funding for support staff. Between 2009 and 2019, support staff in Virginia schools declined by 2,800 positions while student enrollment increased by more than 57,000 students.

I urge you to pass this legislation. Education is our society's most important function.

I wholeheartedly support HB 1929. The support services of additional counselors, nurses, social workers and others are critical for the support of our children, teachers and school staff. Many children come from deprived backgrounds and are dealing with a multitude of issues. Children can't learn effectively if they have other issues impacting their lives and these services will help to address these issues. When we provide these services it helps the entire community and will help all of our children become productive members of our society. The more affluent districts have these services or their families can afford to provide them. As a society we must be concerned about all of our children. Martin Luther King said: "All too many of those who live in affluent America ignore those who exist in poor America: How responsible am I for the well-being of my fellows." When we help the least in our communities it elevates the entire community.

The School Equity and Staffing Act is important to me for so many reasons. Our students are living in very stressful times. Having more counselors and school support staff, including social workers, nurses, and administrative and custodial staff would go a long way toward relieving some of this stress. I taught in the Norfolk public schools right after I graduated from college and I saw first hand how much responsibility is placed on our young students due to parents having to work in the evening or being out of work. School was their refuge. Times have changed and school is no longer the refuge it used to be. Students need to feel that they are safe at school and that there is someone to talk with if they are feeling upset, depressed or angry. This applies to all students no matter what their race or family income. However, high-poverty nonwhite schools are receiving less funding and this needs to be fixed. Our children are our future. Supporting them by passing this act will allow them to spend more time learning and becoming bright, responsible, and confident citizens who will be able to support themselves and contribute to our country in many ways. We also need to take care of our teachers, many of whom are struggling. There are teachers who need a second job to make ends meet. Many of the supplies they need are purchased out of their own pocket because the school in which they teach cannot afford the materials. They are often taking on responsibilities that would normally be done by the additional staff that can be hired if you vote YES. I urge everyone to vote for this act. If you vote for it you could help change the lives of many children and teachers. It will be worth every penny it costs us.

I strongly support this bill. Educating students is a central component of a healthy democracy, but our current system of school funding is deeply unequal and unjust, ensuring that students who are already disadvantaged by having been born into poverty continue to suffer further inequality by attending under-funded schools. This bill goes some small way toward correcting that inequality by providing more funds to schools serving disadvantaged students, and ensuring that there is more access to guidance counselors in those schools.

I am a Washington County School Board member and a resident ofWashington County, VA. I am writing in support of HB 1929 which allows for fullfunding of the SOQ’s recommended by the Virginia Department of Education. As a rural school district located in a struggling economyin Southwest Virginia, our school system has unfortunately been accustomed tothe inequities of resources provided to us compared to wealthy school districtssuch as Fairfax County in northern Virginia. The covid-19 pandemic that we areall still working to navigate has exacerbated these issues. Many students notonly in Washington County, but in neighboring counties as well quickly fallbehind because of their inability to connect to broadband internet. As we allknow, the internet has become a vital piece of infrastructure in today’s world.One’s access not only affects a student’s ability to succeed in the schoolregardless of working remotely or not. Even in a non-covid 19 year, it affectsthat student’s ability to do quality work at home. In return, this eventuallyaffects our work force here in SWVA. Having access to broadband internet iscrucial to searching the job market and getting exposure to possible careerpaths. We are setting a percentage of students up for failure because of thislack of a basic necessity in today’s world. This should no longer beacceptable. Broadband access is just one example of an inequity that weface. When looking at career pathways and talent pipelines to certain industries,we fall behind especially in STEM areas. Students having access to certainclasses at the middle and especially high school level allows them to have abetter foundation when considering a STEM field career. Even in our own countynot all high schools are created equally. One school cannot always guarantee tooffer physics every year, and it is not guaranteed even every other year. Somestudents end up having to take an independent study with physics as the focuswith a science teacher during the same period that teacher is teaching biology.The student does this because they are passionate about pursuing a STEM careerand know that physics is very important for them to take in order to reachtheir goals. This happens because the school can not afford to hire anotherscience teacher in order to be able to meet core requirements and classes thatwould advance a student’s studies for their career interest at the same time.    I could keep going on and on. Please support HB1929 so wecan start to address these inequities. I want the General Assembly to fullyfund the SOQ’s established by the VA Board of Education, including the EquityFund. The youth in our region deserve this. They deserve so much more. Pleasehelp our youth succeed regardless of where they live. Thank you.

The VEA strongly encourages the General Assembly to fully implement and fund the revised Standards of Quality (SOQs) adopted by the Virginia Board of Education (BOE). As a reminder, the Constitution of Virginia requires the BOE to prescribe standards of quality for Virginia’s public schools, subject to revision only by the General Assembly. Fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to set the minimum standards for a high-quality program of public education, the BOE prescribed new standards in the fall of 2019 which were aligned with the priorities outlined in its 2018-2023 comprehensive plan:  Priority 1: Provide high-quality, effective learning environments for all students  Priority 2: 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  Priority 3: 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. In addition to updating staffing ratios to reflect prevailing practice and current needs in our public schools, the BOE also recommended reversing recession-era cuts that have put significant stress on localities and added to an increased disparity of services between school divisions. The prescribed SOQs were transmitted to the General Assembly to review and revise during the 2020 legislative session, and the General Assembly did not provide adequate funding for the prescribed standards. In September 2020, the BOE unanimously re-prescribed the SOQs from 2019. It is imperative that the General Assembly meet their constitutional responsibility to review and fund these revisions during the 2021 legislative session. The School Equity and Staffing Act, patroned by Delegate Lashrecse Aird (HB1929) would make the much-needed revisions to the SOQs to fully fund the recommendations. The Virginia Education Association urges your support of HB 1929 and to report the bill favorably from your subcommittee. We cannot continue underfunding Virginia’s public schools.

I am writing in support of the passage of HB 1929. This bill would provide crucial funds for high-poverty schools through the Equity Fund, funding for school counselors to ensure there is one counselor for every 250 students, and increased funding for school support staff, including social workers, and nurses. All three components would drastically decrease the number of Virginia students caught in the school to prison pipeline.

The School Staffing and Equity Act, HB 1929, bill to increase equitable funding to schools: If passed, this law would: - Add new funds for high-poverty schools through the Equity Fund - Increase funding for school counselors to ensure there is one counselor for every 250 students - Remove the “support cap” and increase funding for school support staff, including social workers, nurses, administrative and custodial staff - Increase funding for English Learner students In light of the horrific gap in our young peoples' face to face education due to COVID, this HB1929 bill is critical. Portsmouth, my city, is less affluent than many other Virginia areas and the need is, therefore, many times greater to invest fully in education. This is especially true for under-served, minority areas. Our biggest hope for the future of our state and country is to support ALL manner of lifting up our children, to give them the tool of education to open doors for opportunity so critically needed for them to succeed. I implore each of you to search your conscience, to do the right thing, to promote the wellness and well-being of our schools and the dedicated workers therein and to do the best for our children. Please vote YES to pass this HB1929 bill. Thanking you ALL in advance. Citizen Janis Davis

This bill provides funding for schools in poorer areas, such as Portsmouth. It would increase the number of counselors and other support staff and thus help lessen disciplinary needs. Please help meet the needs of our children by supporting this bill.

I support increased funding to our public schools in high poverty areas. I am a school volunteer at the elementary level and have seen so much need. Not just physical but for attention and extra help with learning basics. So many families are fractured and more counselors would be a huge help

I am writing in support of the Support the School Equity and Staffing Act. Please move this bill out of subcommittee so that we can have new funds for high-poverty schools, increased funding for school counselors, and increased funding for English Learner students.

I am the Southwest Organizer for Virginia Organizing, a parent, and a resident of Washington County. I am writing in support of HB 1929 which will fully fund the SOQ's established by the VA BOE. Here in Southwest VA, students regularly deal with obstacles to education that are unheard of in wealthy districts. NO access to Broadband internet means that their parents must drive them to a location with free wi-fi, often after parents have worked a full day. Foreign language is not offered until HS in most areas, and then only online. AP Courses are minimal, if they exist at all, and counselor to student ratios mean that students are rarely encouraged to apply to college and lack the support to take those steps. There is no money for extracurricular clubs and activities, and very few schools offer art education or theater. Try to imagine a child from Southwest VA applying to a 4 year college and trying to compete for admission with a child from NOVA. If they are admitted, imagine trying to compete with students who have worked collaboratively and in a multi-cultural environment all their lives. In Lee County, the vocational school has not graduated a student with a certificate to practice a trade in years. What kind of a future or job prospects does that offer to our children. In order to want the best for our children, do we need to want them to relocate? It is in the best interest of VA, and in the best interest of all Virginians, that every student has the opportunity to realize their full potential, whatever that is, and regardless of zip code. HB1929 would provide student to staff ratios that would fulfill that promise. It would allow smaller and underfunded school districts to attract and retain qualified teachers and counselors. It would greatly improve educational outcomes among those students who are otherwise getting lost in overcrowded falling down schools. And most importantly, it will permanently establishes an Equity Fund as part of the SOQs, which would establish additional funding for rural and low income school districts that do not have the local tax base to provide adequate funding. We want the General Assembly to fully fund ALL the SOQ's established by the VA Board of Education, including the Equity Fund. Revenue projections are extremely favorable despite the pandemic and a quality public education is what we owe all the children of this Commonwealth. (Until now, the equity mechanism has been "the at risk add on" which is a discretionary budget item that has a cap.) It is imperative that the General Assembly codify the Equity Fund as a permanent part of the SOQ's, and that it be fully funded. We have never been as divided as we are in this moment, and the lack of a quality public school education in rural and low income communities and communities of color, has played a significant part in deepening that divide that has led to the civil unrest and even violence in our communities. This one step, if taken with all deliberate speed, can turn that around in one generation. There is no more important investment that we can make.

I am Rees Shearer from Emory, VA., a retired public school educator, member of Virginia Organizing, and most importantly, a grandfather. I served 16 years in Washington County as an elementary school counselor and a middle school dropout prevention coordinator. (A program created by this House of Delegates). I worked as the only counselor in schools with schoolwide Title One programs, attending to as many as 425 students. Daily, I was confronted with the personal struggles of children living in poverty, whose life experience and access only to minimal resources at home left them struggling. The additional $26.6 million proposed for counselors is very welcome, yet, I assure you it’s not enough to meet the needs of all students. In fact, state funding per student is below 2009 levels. By not fully funding SOQs, you leave teachers and staff with an impossible job. Yet a job required by the Constitution of Virginia, to which each of you has sworn your support. Article 1, the Bill of Rights of the Virginia Constitution states “That free government rests, as does all progress, upon the broadest possible diffusion of knowledge, and that the Commonwealth should avail itself of those talents…by assuring the opportunity for their fullest development by an effective system of education throughout the Commonwealth.” And in Article VIII. Education, referencing the Standards of Quality, our constitution states “The General Assembly…shall seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained.” Clearly, the buck stops here at the Assembly! The pandemic and its economic and social consequences are creating extraordinary stress, making it even harder for local governments to adequately fund quality public schools. Our communities face a hurricane of distress. Adding to the rainy day fund now as the Governor proposes, instead of providing public school funding equity for children across the Commonwealth, is like stowing money in the bank for a child's college education, just as she's crying out, without food for tonight's supper. Until Virginia equitably funds quality public education in every locality, regardless of wealth, our Commonwealth stands in violation of its own principles and is denying young Virginians their constitutionally enshrined right to assured “opportunity for their fullest development.” I ask you to stand for educational justice. Fund in whole, not in part, the mandated Standards of Quality. HB1929, the School Equity and Staffing Act, filed by Delegate Aird, will be a giant step towards funding equity. Thank you for this opportunity to share my testimony.

Please support increasing budgets from a 2009 level to a 2021 level. Students more than ever require supplemental services and counselors loads are still too large to be able to help each student that needs it. Also, the lack of resources is bigger in high poverty divisions, affecting mostly populations of color. Having equitable distribution of funds is needed to minimize disparities in our schools.

I am writing in support of the The School Equity and Staffing Act. For too long Virginia schools have been hamstrung by poor funding, and localities have been left scrambling to fill key positions, including counselors, social workers, and custodial support. The COVID pandemic has only exacerbated the inequity in Virginia’s school systems. We will be picking up the pieces for years to come. The funding provided by this bill is essential in doing that—and in giving our kids—ALL of our kids—what they should’ve had all along. I ask that you please pass this bill. Virginia’s kids need it. Thank you.

Please vote to fund this bill. Even if it means higher taxes, if there’s anything I am willing to pay more for, it is funding for education. The state as a constitutional duty to provide a quality education to it’s students. The Virginia board of education has said that in order for schools to reach the standards of quality (SOQs) that our students deserve, an additional $1 billion annually is needed from the state. The current levels of funding do not give all students a chance to succeed, and low income students are affected the most. Students from low income families are already are going to have challenges in excess of their higher income peers, but receiving a quality education should not be one of those challenges. Every student in Virginia regardless of income or race should be able to enroll in their neighborhood public school and know they will have all the support they need - including well paid and well trained teachers, adequate numbers of social workers and counselors, English language learning resources, instructional aids, and support staff. Education has repeatedly been shown to be one of the best returns on investment; funding schools now means that our students have a better chance of reaching their potential and needing fewer state resources in the future. Please fund our schools now.

I am a Richmond Public Schools ESL teacher that serves middle school students. I am writing to voice my strong support for HB1929. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the rampant inequity that exists across Virginia schools. These inequities existed long before the pandemic and will only be made worse going forward, unless the General Assembly passes the School Equity and Staffing Act this session. Education advocates are tired of the yearly promises for more funding that is in turn met with modest increases that are a band-aid fix. HB1929 is a step toward the bold and reparative action that is so necessary if we are to create a Virginia public education system where every child, no matter their race, gender, socioeconomic, citizenship status, or home language, can succeed.

I am writing to ask that you support HB 2027 for the following reasons: 1. VA still depends on SOLs, which are high-stakes, end-of-year testing, that requires immense time and resources. Given the end-of-year timing, these tests do not provide actionable information for teachers to use to support their students. The current high-stakes tests cause anxiety for students and teachers alike. The measure of year-end, one-time proficiency, means limited data on how well our schools serve their students over the year. This data gap has an even higher negative impact on low-income students, as it is too late when the results come in, for any intervention by teachers. By having the tests administered in the beginning, mid and end of the year, it allows the VA DOE and school divisions to direct resources to schools and students who need them most in a timely fashion. 2. This bill will reduce the total number of tests our kids have to take, but make the tests they do take, more effective in assessing the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and growth. 3. This bill is especially important in light of Covid, as it will help identify and address Covid related learning losses and gaps in real time, rather than at the end of the year, when teachers can no longer use the data to give extra support to students who need it most. 4. Students move to other localities and states. Currently, each division uses a different growth assessment tool. For example, Henrico has moved away from MAPs tests to Performance Matters tests. When different divisions use different tools and a student moves to a different division or state, it makes it all the more challenging for the new division to place the student in the correct level. 5. Having uniform growth assessment tests all across the Commonwealth will make the college application process more manageable for students and for higher education institutes when evaluating applications. The cost is small compared to the tremendous positive impact this will have, especially in light of the huge gaps resulting from Covid and virtual learning. I have also looked at the revenue reports and based on how they look, I see no reason it should not be funded. Thank you in advance, Yael Levin-Sheldon Henrico County

The Virginia School Boards Association supports HB 2027. This bill proposes switching to a “Through-Year” growth assessment model, for English and Math SOLs in grades 3-8. This means that instead of end of year SOLs, students will take low-stakes which will allow districts to reduce the total amount of testing time and provide more accurate information on student progress and proficiency in these core areas. We urge the committee to report HB 2027 to the floor for debate in the full House of Delegates.

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

As current Director of the Commonwealth Learning Partnership, I am actively involved in providing support and professional learning opportunities for educators across the Commonwealth. In my 40 years as a public educator, I have yet to find an educator who does not support a balanced assessment model; specifically an assessment model that measures growth and offers opportunities for students to apply what he/she has learned. HB2027 opens the door for further discussion and action around a balanced assessment model for all students, including a redesign of what currently exists. I am genuinely encouraged by the intent of HB2027 and, because I am in total agreement with VASCDs position on this bill, I respectfully re-submit the following comment from Dr. Laurie McCullough, who says it best: From Dr. McCullough, VASCD: VASCD’s policy priorities call for a state assessment system that reduces reliance on one type of test measuring one type of learning, and instead combines multiple measures to give us a more complete picture of student learning. We support HB2027 with one reservation. • We applaud efforts to provide growth data statewide in elementary reading and math. • We agree that three shorter, lower-stakes assessments that inform instruction better and interrupt instruction less is an important step in the right direction. • We enthusiastically support the long-range goal-- a system in which the purposes currently served by PALs, Benchmark tests, SOL tests, and locally chosen growth measures such as MAP are met in a more streamlined, less disruptive system. Our reservation lies in the plan to develop growth measures by expanding existing SOL item banks. Although we have statistical means for calculating expected and estimated growth scores on SOL tests, these tests do not give us direct information about students' movement along the reading and math skills continua, no matter how frequently they are administered. Measuring growth on the Standards will require more than jerry-rigging SOL item banks. We believe it will require a redesign of these tests or the inclusion of a different assessment that is aligned with the Standards and designed to measure growth. We heartily support and will welcome opportunities to assist in these efforts.

Hi, my name is Carolyn Ferraro and I have 2 children in Chesterfield County public schools. I graduated salutatorian of my high school class but my standardized test scores did not reflect my hardwork. I was not a great test taker. When I heard about the SOL's before I even had children I was not a fan. Testing anxiety for students is real and putting the pressure on one test at the end of a school year at this age is unnecessary. Plus it creates 3-4 weeks of wasted time at the end of the year0 after the test have been completed. Teachers end up teaching for a student to pass one test at the end of the year. Forcing them to rush through the curriculum and increasing the chance a child is left behind. We want to provide students with the tools they need to succeed. Growth based assessments allow teachers to determine what a student needs and allows them to adjust as necessary throughout the year. With SOL's the test scores are received at the end of the year and the teacher they have built a relationship with isn't able to help.

Virginia First Cities Coalition supports HB 2027 as it is consistent with our policy work to limit the number of SOLs that students must take in their early years. A greater focus on the growth of students and their needs, and not simply teaching to the text, will, we believe, lead to more beneficial outcomes for the students.

Initially, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents had concerns regarding what we felt might be a potential increase in SOL tests in this bill. However, Delegate Coyner has addressed these concerns in the amendment before the Subcommittee. We thank the Delegate this consideration. Thank you Dr. Tom Smith VASS

I submitted previous comments from VASCD indicating that, while we supported the intent of the bill, we also had reservations. We reached out to Del. Coyner and appreciate her willingness to consider feedback from us as well as other groups. We are happy to support the bill in its amended form. Laurie McCullough VASCD Executive Director

I feel that the SOL needs to be done away with....The teachers needs to teach about history, english and math. With the SOL, all the teachers are teaching is HOW TO PASS IT. These test are making kids drop of school. There are some kids that CAN NOT do algebra, CAN NOT understand Chemistry but get failed if they can not pass the SOL and it is not because they are stupid, it just does not click with some kids like it does with others. The school systems need to go back to General studies or Academic studies. Some kids are not going to college so they do not need an Advanced Diploma. I feel that if this would happen you would have less Drop-Outs and more kids staying in school.. Thank you

I am writing today to ask that you support this bill. Not all students are good standardized test takers. I was one of them. It’s been many years since I’ve taken My SATs but I don’t know if even scored over 900 on them yet I was an honor roll student and involved in many extracurricular activities at school. Luckily my poor standardized test taking did not prevent me from graduating high school and attending college. My mom shares a story from her school of a young lady that passed her geometry class but couldn’t get her diploma because she couldn’t pass her geometry SOL. She took it 6 times. That is absolutely ridiculous and heartbreaking in my opinion. Unfortunately my daughter is just like me. She under performs on all standardized assessments she is given yet she is a straight A student. She will be going into 3rd this fall. That’s the first year for SOLs. Thanks to pandemic her anxiety around testing and school is through the roof. We are constantly working on ways to help her calm herself down. And she is getting better with it but I worry about her stress level next year. Our district has not returned to in person learning. She missed about 3 months of vital time in 1st grade when COVID hit where the emphasis at school was really reading. This year her reading has improved but I know she and so many other students would be reading at higher level if they were in a school building. I worry about all the kids that haven’t had in person instruction since March of 2020 being behind academically. I have hoped SOLs would go away from a very long time. This is the perfect time to move away from a test that doesn’t prove intelligence or what students have learned. Let teachers actually teach instead of having to cover what’s on a standardized test. Growth based assessments are definitely more appropriate. So many students will be returning in different levels due to their ability to learn virtually and based on the amount of help they receive at home. Students that were already behind will be even more behind after virtual learning. Let’s give those students a chance to catch up and provide teachers with data that will actually help them catch those students up instead of worrying about teaching what’s on SOL. Every teacher I know thinks SOLs were the worst thing to happen to education. Please listen to the parents and the teachers on this one. The affects of COVID on education and this generation are going to be with us for awhile. Please give students and teachers one less thing to worry about. I appreciate your time and attention.

No single assessment like the end of year SOLs can meet all needs, and thus VEA believes HB2027 looks at balancing the following assessment sources: ● Continuous evidence from classroom assessment to support student learning; ● Periodic evidence supplied by progress monitoring and interim benchmark assessments; and ● Accountability based on growth and aggregated proficiency. This balance acknowledges that using tests that happen once a year, while helpful in setting resource priorities, are of limited value to those who must make instructional decisions. The future effectiveness of Assessment in Virginia schools and student learning will rely on our ability to move from an assessment system historically devoted to summative applications using annual test scores to one that clearly defines the type of Assessment and the appropriate use of the Assessment for student engagement in learning. Used appropriately, Assessment can be a powerful tool to help both educators and their students know where they are now in their learning progression and determine where students need to go next. With consistent, ongoing educator support and engaged students, Assessment for student learning can provide individualized support to meet each learner's needs. Traditionally, Assessment has been seen as occurring after teaching to measure what students have learned. This alternative approach weaves Assessment into teaching itself. The student and teacher work together to see where the student is along a continuum of success and determine what should come next. Ongoing, continual Assessment of student growth over time gives educators and students more frequent opportunities to adjust the course of learning to meet each student's needs. Research has revealed that such an approach yields profound achievement gains, with the largest gains accruing for struggling learners (Black & William, 1998a; Black & William, 1998b). We believe HB 2027 is especially important for students with disabilities, English-language learners (ELLs), and at-risk students. It flows into multiple measures to show student growth, which is a more appropriate way to determine how well students are doing and the progress they've made. HB 2027 would lower combined test time by capping at 150% of the current end-of-year SOL length, which will give teachers more time to teach. We ask the committee to favorably report HB 2027.

HB 2027 Comment of Prince William County Schools The 2014 General Assembly eliminated Standards of Learning assessments in Grade 3 History, Grade 3 Science, Grade 5 Writing, United States History to 1865, and United States History: 1865 to the Present, but not for English and Math. Additionally, the Assembly’s action required local school divisions to continue to teach the content and to measure student achievement with local alternative assessments, including authentic or performance assessments. School divisions must certify annually that they have provided instruction and administered an alternative assessment, consistent with Board of Education guidelines, to students in grades and subject areas that no longer have a corresponding SOL test. Students in grades 3-8 already take annual tests in reading and mathematics, plus science tests in grades 5 and 8. Thus, grade 5-8 students already take a total 14 tests. I have read the White Paper entitled “Replace Current SOLs with Growth-Based Assessments”. It further describes PALs (the proposed substitute) as a “low stakes” growth assessment. It is my understanding that Federal testing requirements will still remain, so this bill does not reduce that. As such, it is not clear that there will be much (if any) of a reduction in the number of assessments. Generally, PWCS has supported the reduction in SOLs and the increased use of authentic performance assessments. It is not clear, however, that a low stakes PALs really accomplishes that goal but, in reality, just adds another test. For the reasons stated, we believe this bill needs additional work and clarity before recommending that it be reported. Jim Council Lobbyist

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

I do not support high stakes testing. I do not support fewer SOL tests to be replaced by more "growth" tests. This is actually expanding testing instead of reducing it.

I am writing to ask that you support HB 2027 tomorrow during the SOL/SOQ Subcommittee hearing tomorrow for the following reasons: 1. VA still depends on SOLs, which are high-stakes, end-of-year testing, that requires immense time and resources. Given the end-of-year timing, these tests do not provide actionable information for teachers to use to support their students. The current high-stakes tests cause anxiety for students and teachers alike. The measure of year-end, one-time proficiency, means limited data on how well our schools serve their students over the year. This data gap has an even higher negative impact on low-income students, as it is too late when the results come in, for any intervention by teachers. By having the tests administered in the beginning, mid and end of the year, it allows the VA DOE and school divisions to direct resources to schools and students who need them most in a timely fashion. 2. This bill will reduce the total number of tests our kids have to take, but make the tests they do take, more effective in assessing the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and growth. 3. This bill is especially important in light of Covid, as it will help identify and address Covid related learning losses and gaps in real time, rather than at the end of the year, when teachers can no longer use the data to give extra support to students who need it most. 4. Students move to other localities and states. Currently, each division uses a different growth assessment tool. For example, Henrico has moved away from MAPs tests to Performance Matters tests. When different divisions use different tools and a student moves to a different division or state, it makes it all the more challenging for the new division to place the student in the correct level. 5. Having uniform growth assessment tests all across the Commonwealth will make the college application process more manageable for students and for higher education institutes when evaluating applications. Sincerely, Yael Levin-Sheldon Henrico County

As a parent and teacher I am writing to ask you to please vote YES on HB2027. This is an incredibly intelligent move in the right direction for all of our children. Thank you so much for your consideration.

I am writing on behalf of the State and Local Government Policy Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law. Please note that the views I express here are my own and do not represent the University of Virginia School of Law. We have had the privilege of working with Delegate Coyner in the research and drafting of HB 2027. Now that it has reached the General Assembly, we would like to highlight several of the reasons that this bill’s passage and the introduction of a “Through-Year” growth assessment model is both urgent and important for the students of the Commonwealth. • All students will receive more personalized instruction and will better understand their progress over the year. • Teachers will have more time for teaching (less time on test prep) and better data to help them plan personalized instruction. • Parents and students will receive information on what grade level the student is performing (proficiency score), and how much they’ve grown (growth score), highlighting the progress students are making and those areas where they still need to advance. • Schools will be evaluated more effectively on how they helped students make progress, allowing low-income schools in particular to better understand how they are serving students. • State officials will use proficiency scores to determine where resources are most needed, making sure that schools get the help and support they need to close achievement gaps. • Virginia will join the cutting edge of testing reform, joining states including Georgia, North Carolina, and Nebraska in implementing growth assessment models. While these changes would be important at any time, the COVID pandemic has made them urgent. The existing achievement gap has been exacerbated by COVID. This new growth assessment model will give teachers, school officials, and lawmakers the tools to identify and address these learning gaps earlier and more effectively. Beyond addressing these urgent learning gaps, HB 2027 will modernize the state’s testing system, and help students, families, and teachers ensure that every child has a chance to grow and succeed.

Virginia ASCD strongly supports adjustments to teacher salaries that will bring them in line with those of surrounding states, help to mitigate our growing problem with teacher shortages, and enable teachers to live and raise their families in the communities in which they work.

I’m submitting these comments on behalf of Virginia ASCD, a professional association of approximately 1500 Virginia educators including teachers, building administrators, and division-level leaders. For the past several years, we have advocated for a more balanced state assessment system, which we agree should include measures of growth in elementary reading and mathematics. Growth measures are widely recognized as important, including by the former SOL Innovation Committee’s Subcommittee on Assessment, which made several recommendations related to growth measures in its 2017 report. (https://www.education.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/secretary-of-education/pdf/sol-innovation-committee-fall-2017-report.pdf). VASCD’s policy priorities call for a state assessment system that reduces reliance on one type of test measuring one type of learning, and instead combines multiple measures to give us a more complete picture of student learning. We support HB2027 with one reservation. • We applaud efforts to provide growth data statewide in elementary reading and math. • We agree that three shorter, lower-stakes assessments that inform instruction better and interrupt instruction less is an important step in the right direction. • We enthusiastically support the long-range goal-- a system in which the purposes currently served by PALs, Benchmark tests, SOL tests, and locally chosen growth measures such as MAP are met in a more streamlined, less disruptive system. Our reservation lies in the plan to develop growth measures by expanding existing SOL item banks. Although we have statistical means for calculating expected and estimated growth scores on SOL tests, these tests do not give us direct information about students' movement along the reading and math skills continua, no matter how frequently they are administered. Measuring growth on the Standards will require more than jerry-rigging SOL item banks. We believe it will require a redesign of these tests or the inclusion of a different assessment that is aligned with the Standards and designed to measure growth. We heartily support and will welcome opportunities to assist in these efforts.

The Virginia Nurses Association strongly supports this bill and recognizes the importance of high quality STEM education to expose students to important and high-demand fields such as healthcare at an early age. This Advisory Board will continue to play an important role in this regard.

I support this bill. I do not wish to speak, as a CodeVA advocacy representative is already signed up to speak.

I education coach, author and advocate Jorge Valenzuela, a teacher at Old Dominion University and representing ‘Lifelong Learning Defined, offer my full support for HB 2058 to create the Virginia STEM Advisory Board. This Advisory Board will be critical for helping to align STEM efforts throughout the Commonwealth. Furthermore, it will support the preparation of teachers who may not have an engineering or STEM background in understanding best practices for STEM in the classroom.

● I am the Director of a center at Virginia Tech that supports outreach between university researchers and the K12 community. I support HB 2058, which formally codifies the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board and ensures a coordinated effort across the Commonwealth to provide high quality STEM education to all learners. This bill is the number one recommendation of the Commission and will have no fiscal impact on the budget. ● The Advisory Board will create the type of foundation that includes a common lexicon, a rubric for expectations, a plan for broadband access; a statewide communication system – as well as identify the key leaders across the stakeholder sectors: P-12, higher education (2- and 4-year institutions), business, industry, military, community organizations, governmental agencies. ● The passing of this bill will also help move forward a statewide STEM network in which many organizations will be encouraged to work together across the Commonwealth. Thank you for your consideration. Lisa McNair

I write to express my support for House Bill 2058, creating the Virginia STEM Advisory Board. Statewide coordination and guidance for STEM activities has the potential to improve STEM education offerings across the Commonwealth and better distribute resources to all the regions of the state. As the outreach and engagement coordinator for the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech, I have seen firsthand how excellent STEM opportunities inspire and educate learners. That inspiration and education are needed to develop a strong workforce, Commonwealth-wide. A statewide STEM advisory board would help stakeholders from K-12, higher education (2-year and 4-year), museums, libraries, corporate entities, government, and community organizations to have common language, rubrics, goals, and plans, thereby creating the space for coordinated efforts. The bill has no fiscal impact, and represents the first priority of the governor's STEM Commission. Phyllis L. Newbill Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech

Tidewater Connection Alumni Association represents children and Communities primarily in the 757, specifically Norfolk. Systemic Racism with in has caused widespread problems. Two schools in the Berkley and Campostella school district of Norfolk are in the bottom ten schools of all schools in Virginia. Funding is need to uplift the Educational providence of Southside STEM Academy at Campostella and St.Helena ranked even lower. It has also been brought to attention that Special Needs Children are in Dyer need of State if not Federal intervention. I.E.P.'s are either not being followed, or the conditions identified are not be serviced to the fullest extent of the law. We ask for outside audit with input from parents and the Not For Profit Organization, cca-tidewater, Tidewater Connection Alumni Association Barrett Hicks, Executive Director tcaa757@gmail.com or tidewaterconnection4all@aol.com

I am writing on behalf of Virginia PTAs 175,000 members across 950 schools in support of HB2058. STEM careers in the United States are growing faster than other professions. While the demand for qualified professionals is high, the supply of workers to fill these positions is low—especially among women, minorities and students from low-income families. Every child, regardless of zip code, ethnicity, race or gender, should have high-quality hands-on exposure to science, technology, engineering and math to not only inspire students to pursue career opportunities in STEM fields but also to provide a foundation in STEM literacy which can benefit many career paths. We support the creation of a Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Board to promote a culture of collaboration and increased access to STEM programming for students across the Commonwealth.

● Good morning, Chairman VanValkenburg and members of the Committee. My name is Dr. Sue Magliaro and I am Professor Emerita from Virginia Tech and a member of the Virginia STEM Education Commission. ● I am here to speak in support of HB 2058, which formally codifies the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board and ensures a coordinated effort across the Commonwealth to provide high quality STEM education to all learners. This bill is the number one recommendation of the Commission and will have no fiscal impact on the budget. ● The Advisory Board will create the type of foundation that includes a common lexicon, a rubric for expectations, a plan for broadband access; a statewide communication system – as well as identify the key leaders across the stakeholder sectors: P-12, higher education (2- and 4-year institutions), business, industry, military, community organizations, governmental agencies. ● The promise of a coordinated, statewide approach to advancing STEM Education for all needs to be in place for Virginia to meet needs for economic growth, and especially to revive our economy during this unprecedented pandemic – which has laid bare the educational disparities, lack of infrastructure, and information gaps. ● As the former director of the VT School of Education and VT-STEM, the university’s K-12 STEM outreach initiative, and assistant director of the VT Center for Educational Networks and Impacts, I know first-hand the need for a centralized, multi-sector approach to ensuring a STEM literate and STEM skilled populace. Communication, access, and collaboration are essential; and, a Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board is the first step. ● I urge you to pass this legislation. We have the people, we have the strategies, we have the will. Now we must create an on-going, stable presence at the state level to ensure that we have the advocacy and long-term commitment to make “STEM for all” a reality. ● Thank you.

Good Morning. I am Amy White and I am the Dean of the School of STEM at VWCC in Roanoke. I am here today to voice my full support for HB 2058, which would codify the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board. I was honored to serve on the STEM Education Commission and this was our top recommendation, for many reasons. The reason I am here to highlight is equity in STEM Education. During the meetings of the commission, the disparities in resources for STEM education throughout the Commonwealth were repeatedly noted. As a lifelong resident of southwest Virginia, and as a 15 year employee of the community college system, I have lived with the reality of these disparities. In my professional and personal opinion, an advisory board that oversees this vital area of education for the entire state would be able to address these disparities and bring equal opportunities to our underserved students. Thank you for your time today, and for your service to our Commonwealth.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a national STEM/CTE non-profit organization that provides transformational learning experiences for PreK-12 students and teachers in the fields of biomedical science, computer science and engineering. Our mission is to empower students to thrive in an evolving world. We work with districts across the commonwealth to implement high quality and relevant educational opportunities to better prepare teachers and students for successful careers. We advocate for policies that will enhance learning opportunities with a focus on best practices, equity and access for all. We are in favor of HB 2058 – Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board - as we believe this would bridge gaps and assist in addressing equity issues in STEM offerings. With the number of high-quality STEM related job opportunities in Virginia, it is our opinion that an advisory board would be a critical component to a high-functioning STEM ecosystem and workforce pipeline. We are in favor of HB 1885 – Comprehensive review of computer science standards, etc., in public schools - as computer science implementation can, in some instances, be challenging for districts. We believe that local implementation recommendations specific to computer science would greatly assist our district partners and increase the number of students able to access these courses. Thank you for your consideration.