by John Reid

As a new school year has begun, there are several items that the Prince William County School Board will address as the first meeting will take place at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center on Wednesday.

One item to note among the Legislative Priorities for the 2024 General Assembly session in January will be addressing mental health support. After much lobbying for it to be included, it is a historical precedent to be added to the priority list. Item 11 of the document reads as follows:

“Virginia needs to increase funding for in-classroom instructional support positions and provide teachers with additional resources to meet the needs of students with challenging behavior needs. Virginia should look at removing all support positions from underneath the cap that provide direct services to students. These positions should include school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other positions that support the behavioral health needs of students.”

Another high priority item is improving teacher retention. Item 2 of the document talks about removing the support cap that limits state funding for support positions in order to do so. It has remained in place for more than 15 years. Woodbridge School District Representative Loree Williams spoke with the PW Perspective about its significance.

“The big news is coming from the state regarding the support cap,” she said. “It has been a legislative priority for years to remove the cap.”

“Also, the JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee) report released earlier this year speaks to chronic underfunding of public schools tied to this priority,” she continued. “They are not revenue generators, so we only have a finite amount of funds. This is critical, especially for collective bargaining.”

Collective bargaining negotiations has not gone well between the school division and the Prince William Education Association’s negotiators. They have until the end of the month to reach an agreement on contract terms, or it will go to a non-binding arbitrator should either side declare an impasse.