Virginia government | FFXnow

Published August 29, 2024 at 11:30AM

Virginia Board of Education voted on a new accountability framework for schools at a special meeting on Aug. 28, 2024 (via Virginia Board of Education/YouTube)

The Virginia Board of Education on Wednesday approved the final touches on the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan, designed to address concerns with how schools were rated and student performance was measured to determine better how to direct state resources.

During the special meeting in Richmond, the board approved Virginia’s ESSA plan, readiness weighting for different grade levels, and the overall school performance and support framework proposal as part of its package of accountability system changes.

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Test results shared by state were misleading, FCPS superintendent says

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 27, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated September 9, 2024 at 12:50PM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools is giving the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) a demerit for its recent reveal of annual student test scores.

The results released last week omitted assessments outside of the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests that students take statewide, creating a misleading impression of how FCPS is doing, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said in an Aug. 23 letter to state officials, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

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JUST IN: Virginia lifts drought warnings, including for Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 16, 2024 at 12:15PM

Wolftrap Creek in Vienna on Aug. 11 after the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County is no longer at high risk of experiencing a drought, thanks to the rain brought last week by Tropical Storm Debby.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced today (Friday) that it has lifted its drought advisories for almost all of the state, including Northern Virginia, which has been under a drought warning since late June.

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FCPS plans pilot as Gov. Youngkin seeks to restrict cell phone use in schools

By James Jarvis

Published July 12, 2024 at 1:30PM

A closeup of an iPhone screen (via Adrien/Unsplash)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent executive order to limit phone use in Virginia schools may align with a new pilot program being considered by Fairfax County Public Schools.

Signed Wednesday (July 10), the executive order directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to gather feedback from parents, teachers, and administrators to create guidelines for enforcing “cell-phone-free” classrooms in public schools.

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JUST IN: Drought warning issued for N. Va., including Fairfax County

By Angela Woolsey

Published June 24, 2024 at 3:30PM | Updated June 24, 2024 at 5:56PM

A drought indicators map from June 24, 2024 shows low streamflow in Fairfax County (via Department of Environmental Quality)

The recent heat wave and a lack of rain could lead to a drought in much of Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says.

The department issued a drought warning advisory today (Monday) for the Northern Virginia and Shenandoah regions, announcing that “a significant drought is imminent.”

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Regulators approve request from Dominion to drop RGGI fee on customer bills

By Charlie Paullin / Virginia Mercury

Published June 7, 2024 at 2:30PM

Dominion Energy's Fairfax office (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The average Dominion Energy Virginia residential customer will soon see a charge of about $4.50 dropped from their bills. The fee was being collected to recover costs through the state’s participation in the regional carbon market.

On Monday, the State Corporation Commission, which regulates Virginia’s utilities, approved a request from Dominion to stop tacking the fee on customer’s bills to recoup the costs the utility racked up through participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which Virginia is no longer a part of.

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Youngkin says Virginia won’t follow California’s clean car standards anymore

By Graham Moomaw / Virginia Mercury

Published June 5, 2024 at 3:30PM

Electric vehicle chargers (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday that the state will no longer follow car emissions standards set by California, despite his party’s failure to repeal or roll back a 2021 Democratic law that tied Virginia to those regulations.

The move tees up what could be another legal fight over Republican leaders’ efforts to undo climate change-related measures Democrats passed when they had full control of state government a few years ago.

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Youngkin budget calls for income tax cuts, sales tax increases

By Virginia Mercury

Published December 21, 2023 at 9:30AM | Updated December 21, 2023 at 5:00PM

The new Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond (via Virginia House of Delegates/Flickr)

At the halfway point of his administration, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a budget proposal that calls for significant income tax cuts, increases in state sales and use tax — and a push to get rid of the car tax, which the Republican called “the single most hated tax” in Virginia.

“The car tax belongs in the trash can and not in your mailbox,” he said.

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Virginia Board of Education backs new funding formula for school divisions

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published December 15, 2023 at 11:00AM

Students in a classroom (via Taylor Flowe on Unsplash)

The Virginia Board of Education is asking the General Assembly to develop a plan for changing the state’s existing school funding formula to help divisions strapped for money but isn’t backing a proposal to remove a cap that limits the number of support positions the state will fund.

According to an earlier report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts analysis and provides oversight of state agencies on behalf of the General Assembly, changing the formula could help address the underfunding of schools.

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Dems reintroduce bill to let Virginia localities fund school capital projects through sales tax

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published December 12, 2023 at 3:30PM

Fairfax County Public Schools' current capital projects include construction on an addition to Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Democrats are again pushing for legislation that would allow local governments to hold referenda on increasing their sales and use tax to pay for school capital projects such as construction and renovations.

The party hopes the effort, which has been tried twice before but defeated by Republicans, will be successful now that Democrats are set to control both the House of Delegates and the Senate following the November elections.