Since the beginning of the second Trump Administration, state legislatures have ramped up the work they are doing to address education in state budgets. The emphasis on education is due in large part to the uncertain future of the Department of Education at the federal level. States have incorporated ample appropriations into their budgets to assuage any presumed instability.
Virginia’s budget has been highly discussed for its increased investment in education. Virginia Bill 1600 allocated additional expenditures geared towards improving various aspects of education, including $5.1 million for the continuation of the statewide learning management system. This appropriation is meant to alleviate anticipated pressure following the expiration of federal funding. Overall, Virginia’s budget allocates almost $1 billion for fiscal year 2025 and about $1.1 billion for fiscal year 2026 to the Department of Education. All funding for education is expected to benefit students and teachers throughout the state of Virginia, including $222.9 million to raise the support cap and additional one-time grants for improvement in mathematics education and instruction. The issue of support caps, allocations to schools to hire support professionals, was a point of disagreement between the General Assembly and the Governor. These types of roles typically provide services such as tutoring, enrichment programs, and summer programs to students. Governor Youngkin’s budget amendments attempted to revise the allocation to $84.8 million but this amendment was rejected by the General Assembly during April’s reconvened session.
Tennessee’s budget also demonstrates an increase in investments for education, including a total of almost $8 billion to the Department of Education for various state programs. Approximately $260 million of newly allocated funding is to be distributed for programs such as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement program and Early Childhood Education. The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement received increased funding to provide additional early literacy support and funding for student participation in career and technical education.
Looking at the West Coast, Washington’s budget also featured additional investments in education. As Washington tackles its budget deficit, education remains a top priority as one of the only areas that will not face a significant reduction. In total, the state’s education budget allocated approximately $34 billion in funds. The budget aims to support schools with over $11 million geared towards supporting programs such as the Washington Reading Corps, district implementation that strengthens high-quality high school and beyond plans, and mathematics programs. Additional funding has also been allocated to support school districts in coping with recent financial hardships. One of the largest impact areas of debate this session was special education funding. Parent groups, teacher’s unions, and the state School Director’s Association were all aligned on this being a top line priority. The state allocated an additional $150 million in funding on special education and also eliminated an existing spending limit. Another area of increased funding was in operating costs, particularly as it pertains to educational materials.
While every state budget is different and legislator’s approach difficult decisions in different ways, each state legislature will have to confront education funding issues in the near future. To stay up to date on the impact these budgets will have, please reach out to Stateside.