Governor Kaine Announces Public Education Budget Amendments

Governor Kaine Announces Public Education Budget Amendments

- Includes Pre-K pilot programs, funds teacher pay raises -

Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced several education-related budget amendments he will submit for consideration by the 2007 General Assembly. The Governor's amendments will continue to fund the Standards of Quality, update Virginia lottery proceeds and sales tax revenues, and fully fund the state's share of a three-percent salary increase for teachers and other public school employees. Governor Kaine is scheduled to submit his budget amendments and address the General Assembly's money committees on Friday, December 15.

"In today's knowledge-based economy, we are working to make sure that our young people have every opportunity to succeed across the educational continuum, and we also are in a position to move teacher salaries closer to the national average," Governor Kaine said. "Our budget amendments will enhance remedial reading and math programs for elementary school students. We also will establish several pre-kindergarten pilot programs as we continue to work together to strengthen both quality and access to Virginia'spublic and private pre-K network."

"We also recognize that the need for additional education or training beyond high school has become universal," Governor Kaine said. "Our amendments will continue the focus on moving from academic competence to excellence, preparing students for their continued education at a community college, four-year college or technical training program."

"A generation ago, a college education was not a requirement for a comfortable, middle-class life," said Virginia Secretary of Education Tom Morris. "Today, a college degree is no guarantee of financial security, but individuals without some postsecondary education have little chance of finding satisfying work that pays well."

Secretary Morris is working with the Governor's P-16 Education Council to align educational programs, from preschool through college, to ensure that each stage of the system prepares students well for the next stage.

Governor Kaine's budget amendments to support public education include the following:

* Public school employees are the backbone of this continuum, and Governor Kaine's budget amendments will include nearly $64 million to fund the state's share of a three percent salary increase for teachers, including instructional and support staff, effective December 1, 2007. Earlier this year, Governor Kaine secured teacher salary increases and a requirement that all teachers receive regular evaluations.

* Funding also is provided to implement several Start Strong pilot programs to improve the quality and availability of pre-kindergarten programs. The Governor will propose an additional $4.6 million in funds through the Virginia Preschool Initiative to be used in new pilot programs to test implementation practices for expanding pre-K through public-private partnerships. The pilots also will model innovative features such as a single point of entry for parents to find the best match in their community for their preschool-age child. Governor Kaine also will propose $2.9 million to pilot a voluntary quality ratings system to help parents assess early childhood education programs.

* In Virginia, half of public school children identified as having trouble reading in the first and second grades are not receiving the additional assistance they need. Early Reading Intervention is a program designed to provide eligible students in kindergarten through third grade with services necessary to improve their reading skills or their ability to develop reading skills. Governor Kaine is proposing a $4.1 million budget amendment to cover 100 percent of eligible first- and second-graders.

* The number of students who successfully complete Algebra I by eighth grade is a key benchmark that predicts future success in secondary and postsecondary education. The Algebra Readiness program currently serves seventh and eighth grade students who are at risk of failing the Algebra I end-of-course test, a requirement for high school graduation. To address the recent drop in Standards of Learning math test scores, Governor Kaine will propose $3.9 million to extend this program to include students in grade six.

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id=299