Schools
- Chesterfield Again Delays Vote on Using Data-Center Taxes to Cut the Car Tax
Supervisors pushed an ordinance that could drop the rate by at least $1 to Nov. 18, citing timing doubts as Google campuses await power.
- Legislation to force Virginia traffic camera fine payments will make ‘nightmarish’ court workloads
Signs in front of Granby High School in Norfolk, Va. warn motorists they may get a ticket if they're caught speeding by a camera.
- Virginia students make gains in reading, math as schools push toward pre-pandemic levels
Students in a classroom.
- W&M researcher leads study on students’ literacy outcomes under Virginia Literacy Act
Elizabeth Talbott has been awarded a research grant to conduct a longitudinal study of the Virginia Literacy Act.
- Youth advocates warn higher marijuana fine could deepen racial disparities
Virginia lawmakers are weighing how increased penalties for public marijuana consumption could affect young people as the state prepares to launch legal retail sales in July 2027.
- Fairfax Schools Warn Fiscal 2028 Cuts Could Rival 153 Million Dollar Squeeze of 2026
CFO Leigh Burden cites transfer-share erosion and mid-biennium state aid limits; Superintendent Michelle Reid says the three-year labor deal is at risk as class-size and central-office cut options are modeled.
- Norfolk Public Schools Maps Rezoning as Four Elementary Campuses Prepare to Close
Norfolk is briefing families on fall 2027 rezoning for Granby, Lindenwood, P.B. Young, and Tarrallton elementaries, with bus routes still unsettled as consolidations proceed.
- Fairfax County Schools Warn Fiscal Year 2028 May Require Cuts Near $154 Million
Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden cites a shrinking county transfer share, health care inflation, and biennium state aid as FCPS prepares reduction options.
- Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Allows Boys to Play in Girls Sports
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's administration withdrew a proposed regulation on July 30, 2026, that would have prevented biological males from participating in female-only athletic teams and entering designated female spaces.
- JLARC Ordered to Study AI Policies Across Virginia’s Colleges and Universities
Laufer legislation tasks the legislature’s watchdog with a model policy covering integrity, privacy, access, transparency and faculty autonomy.
- Loudoun Schools Prepare Artificial Intelligence Classroom Pilot as Device Costs Surge Past 70 Percent
Board members split over Gemini Notebook trials at seven middle and high schools while Chromebook and staff laptop prices jump on chip shortages.
- Federal Judge Effectively Blocks New State Law Limiting Virginia's Cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
A federal judge has temporarily blocked Virginia from enforcing most provisions of a new law restricting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, allowing existing partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement to continue while the legal challenge plays out.
- As student well-being concerns grow, Va. advocates push for stricter school tech guidelines
Virginia parents and educators are urging leaders, including the Board of Education, to reduce excessive classroom screen time by considering a draft policy that prioritizes distraction-free learning, physical books, writing, and face-to-face interaction.
- Virginia Students Highlight Environmental Risks from Data Center Power Lines
Students and local leaders discuss habitat loss and school proximity issues tied to high-voltage lines serving Northern Virginia data centers.
- Loudoun County Public Schools Details Transportation Operations and Future Needs
Loudoun County Public Schools operates a transportation department responsible for an average of sixty route changes per day.
- Loudoun County Public Schools Outlines Threat Assessment Enhancements
Loudoun County Public Schools has presented details on plans to introduce a threat assessment coordinator as part of school safety improvements.
- Loudoun County Data Examines Teacher Pay Growth Versus CPI
Loudoun County Public Schools released data comparing teacher average salary growth to Consumer Price Index trends in a recent presentation.
- Prince William Supervisors Vote Unanimously to End By-Right Data Center Development
An 8-0 board vote advances Tom Gordy’s 90-day grace framework, shrinks the 2016 overlay, and leaves residential and school setbacks for later Planning Commission action.
- Teacher of the Year Asks Loudoun Board to Keep Madison's Trust Zones Intact
Colleen Sally tells the Loudoun County School Board that proposed rezoning would displace more than 400 students and 30 staff at the highly ranked Madison's Trust Elementary.
- King George school board settles suit, will allow middle school LGBTQ+ student club
(Illustration by mustafahacalaki/Getty Images) King George County Schools will now allow sixth- to eighth-grade students to form non-curricular clubs, including one supporting LGBTQ+ students, after the school board settled with the families of two students who said the school did not allow them to form the LGBTQ+ club previously, according to a Monday announcement.
- Dominion unveils route changes for Valley Link Transmission line
The proposed Valley Link Transmission Line's Route 2 option with variations, which Dominion Energy has shared with nine Virginia counties that the line could cross, if approved.
- Virginia localities weigh 1% sales tax for school construction as voters decide on expansion
A view from the front entrance of the renovated Gloucester County High School, which opened in September 2025.
- Henrico Advances $304 Million East End Water Main to Cut Reliance on Richmond
Utilities to file 50 percent design next week on a 13-mile western-to-eastern transmission main after the January 2025 Richmond plant failure; construction targeted for 2028–2031.
- Virginia health committee considers mandating licensed nurses in every school
A newly proposed legislative measure would require all school districts in Virginia to employ a licensed nurse in every school.
- The School Choice Programs have SAVED taxpayers up to $45 billion
Democrat legislators use fear tactics to claim that school choice would bankrupt their state.
- Few Va. universities have studied food insecurity among students, though 80% say it’s an issue
Most of Virginia’s public universities and colleges are aware of student food insecurity at their institutions, according to a November survey conducted by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
- Lawmakers Eye Fix for 1% School Construction Sales Tax as 47 Localities Head to Voters
Newport News officials warn the 20-year sunset may not line up with bond issuance; Simonds and Rasoul open to more flexibility.
- Virginia Education Press Needs intense Support
You can forget about any humility you might have expected after the Virginia education media falsely claimed for months that 70+ Virginia
- Virginia’s Data-Center Boom Runs on Water and Diesel: Loudoun’s Billion Gallons and 8,910 Generators
Unconstrained Demand tallies Loudoun data centers above 1 billion gallons of water in 2023, statewide use above 2.1 billion, and 8,910 mostly Tier 2 diesel generators permitted for up to 500 hours a year.
- Virginia education board approves new rules for local student assessments
Students in a classroom.
- State Releases Draft Rules for Recreational Cannabis Market Opening in 2027
CCA outlines retail, microbusiness and cultivation fees; applications expected to open by Feb. 1 ahead of a July 1, 2027 launch.
- Alexandria Schools Race Toward September 30 Decisions on Hazardous Walk Zones and Bus Routes
ACPS and City Hall are reviewing parent hazard claims at key Alexandria intersections before a Sept. 30 ParentSquare deadline on walk-zone bus exceptions amid driver shortages.
- Virginia Beach schools, Civil Rights Office reach agreement over sexual misconduct investigations
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building pictured on Nov. 25, 2024.
- Higher Standards of Learning Cut Scores Coming, but Not This Year, Virginia Board Says
Virginia Board of Education Members listening to Superintendent Emily Anne Gullickson at the board’s business meeting on Nov. 13, 2025.
- Opioid authority awards $12.3 million for prevention, treatment and recovery in Virginia
The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority has awarded more than $12.3 million to support opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the commonwealth.
- Richard Bland College and Live Casino Hotel Virginia Launch Workforce Training Initiative in Petersburg
Richard Bland College, in partnership with Live!
- Petersburg Sets $60,000 Starting Teacher Pay After City Council Funds Salary Overhaul
FY2027 budget advances Phase I of a compensation study, with recurring city dollars aimed at filling vacancies and slowing exits to higher-paying neighbors.
- More Than a Dozen Southwest and Southside Schools Win State Construction Grants
The Board of Education approved more than $132 million for 34 projects statewide, including 16 in Southwest and Southside.
- Hampton Roads Voters Face November 1 Percent Sales Tax Votes for School Construction
Norfolk, Newport News, York, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight and neighboring localities put new statewide school-construction sales-tax authority on the Nov. 3 ballot with sunsets near 2046.
- Seven Rural Virginia Community Colleges Receive $5.93 Million for Health Care Training
A new state grant will help seven rural Virginia community colleges expand nursing, allied health and other training programs tied to local workforce needs.
- Data Center Fight Moves Into Greater Richmond as 17 Campuses Advance Across Eight Counties
Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Dinwiddie hearings fill with water, power, and tax-base arguments while Spanberger’s September directives and moratorium petitions set the statewide backdrop.
- Could Virginia’s new law allowing 1% sales tax for school construction need a fix?
The historic facade of Virginia's new General Assembly Building in Richmond.
- Virginia Panel Advances Plan for a Licensed Nurse in Every School by 2028
School Health Services Committee backs a nurse-per-building or per-325-students rule with two-year hiring waivers; November 18 vote would send the proposal to the 2027 General Assembly.
- Henrico Faces About $5 Million Power-Cost Jump as VEPGA Rates Rise 24.9%
County manager asks employees to conserve electricity after Dominion-territory localities lock in a steep contract-year increase.
- Opioid Abatement Authority Awards $12.3 Million to 18 State Agencies
Package continues 32 projects and adds 7 new ones spanning health, corrections, courts and public universities.
- Loudoun County Supervisors Advance 12-Month Pause on New Data Center Applications
Loudoun’s Board of Supervisors voted 7-1-1 to draft a temporary pause on new data-center applications while rewriting local rules, with a final vote expected in October.
- Virginia Delegate Presses House for Car Tax Relief Amid Affordability Push
Delegate Terry Kilgore urges incremental repeal of the car tax during the 2026 legislative session, citing affordability goals and prior campaign commitments.
- Virginia Lawmakers Press for Tighter Oversight of Data Center Growth
A Virginia congressional proposal would give local governments more tools to manage data center growth, including clearer rules for electricity demand, water use and community impacts.
- Roanoke City Schools Cut 148 Jobs After Budget Shortfall
The division eliminated 64 teaching posts and began the year with 127 vacancies while closing a $14 million gap.
- Arlington School Board Candidates Clash Over Teacher Support and Safety
Incumbent Bethany Zecher Sutton and challenger James Rives debated discipline, resource officers and enrollment at a civic forum.