The 2021 Session of the Virginia General Assembly began today.
In preparation for the Session, the Chesterfield School Board met last month with the Chesterfield legislative delegation to discuss the School Board’s 2021 Legislative Program. The School Board adopted the legislative program at their December 8, 2020 meeting.
The 2021 Legislative Program reflects that Chesterfield County Public Schools continues to be cited as a model for excellence in public education. Educators from outside of our school division routinely visit our nationally recognized schools to learn more about what we are doing, how we are doing it and why we are doing it.
The top three legislative priorities in the 2021 legislative program are:
- Basic Aid Funding Stability/Average Daily Membership (ADM)—The Chesterfield County School Board requests that ADM funding be based on the higher of the ADM numbers from 2019-20 and 2020-21 instead of just the 2020–2021 school year. With concern around enrollment and the potential for reductions in ADM due to COVID- 19, as well as ongoing budget uncertainties, this will provide much needed budget consistency as our student population will fluctuate throughout the school
- Measure Student Achievement and Growth—The Chesterfield County School Board supports measuring student achievement and student growth as a means of accountability for student academic performance. The Chesterfield County School Board supports incorporating student growth as a primary means of assessing student performance for accreditation, using tools that inform instruction and are designed to measure growth rather than using SOL tests as a proxy for growth. In the interim, the Chesterfield County School Board supports the reduction of the required number of SOL tests to the minimum required under federal
- COVID-related Expenses and Funding Flexibility—Given the unknown needs and the potential for school divisions to quickly pivot to adapt their learning models to the ever-changing pandemic climate, school divisions need to be able to adjust their budgets and put resources where they need them when they need
For more information, please visit our website at: https://mychesterfieldschools.com/school-board/legislative- program/