Welcome to our Resources page, where you can find information to support your advocacy for increased school funding and resource equity. As Fund Our Schools continues to fight, we will update our resources, so check in with us often!
Resources
The importance of safe and restorative schools
The importance of safe and restorative school environments What are safe and restorative environments and how do they help? Safe and restorative practices in public schools focus on encouraging positive relationships and using evidence-based approaches to guide student behavior. Restorative…
Supporting our students’ mental health
Supporting our students’ mental health What are school-based mental health resources? Access to mental health support in schools is vital to ensuring every student has the opportunity to do their best work and sets them up for success later in…
Stop blocking local communities from using sales tax for school construction
Stop blocking local communities from using sales tax for school construction! Communities should be able to decide via referendum if they want to institute a sales tax to fund school construction. When the heat doesn’t work, the ceiling drips, or…
Making sure the state pays its fair share
Making sure the state pays its fair share of public education costs Responding to JLARC’s study on school funding Great public schools are the foundation of great communities. And with adequate education funding, every public school can provide a high-quality…
Facts on K-12 Vouchers and Savings Accounts
With students and schools still recovering from the setbacks of the pandemic, we can’t afford to shift investments to voucher and tax credit programs that redirect public K-12 funding and have track records of hurting student outcomes. Research is clear that investing in public schools improves student outcomes, graduation and postsecondary enrollment. Lawmakers should look to invest in evidence-based initiatives that our Board of Education and student-advocacy groups in the state have promoted for years, like funding the revised Standards of Quality and lifting the support cap.
Eliminate the State’s Cap on School Support Staff
In 2009, 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 has declined by 2,800 positions while student enrollment increased by more than 57,000 students. The Virginia Board of Education has repeatedly recommended lifting this arbitrary and damaging cap; doing so over the upcoming budget would cost $778 million.