School division outlines legislative priorities and warns of federal funding cuts

An agency official presented a draft set of legislative priorities aligned with the division's strategic plan and urged board members to use the budget process and intergovernmental coordination to pursue funding.

"One area of topic that's gonna be at the general assembly this coming year is more reforms for accountability framework..." the Agency official said, outlining items such as licensure flexibility for CTE instructors and concern about unfunded mandates. The official urged protecting local control under the Virginia Constitution (Article 8, Section 7) and opposed mandatory staffing mandates that could be infeasible given local labor markets.

The speaker also warned about potential federal cuts, noting a proposed reduction in Title I and Title II funding and unspecified reductions/transfers for IDEA, and urged advocacy with state and federal delegations to prevent erosion of local services.