Virginia Schools to Receive $202 Million Less in Educational Funding Due to Miscalculations

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By E.Baloyo , Parent Herald Feb 01, 08:28 am

Photo: (Photo : Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

A miscalculation will cause Virginia schools to receive $202 million less in educational funding.

As the politicians drew out the budget for the new fiscal year, some things went wrong. A miscalculation made using an online tool resulted in halting the appropriate educational funding.

This error would mean that some educational institutions that rely heavily on government aid may be unable to operate properly or face millions of dollars in bills.

Wrong calculations impact Virginia schools funding

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Department of Education has recently acknowledged a significant math error that resulted in the underestimation of state funding for K-12 school districts across the state.

This mistake will result in a loss of approximately $202 million for the current and upcoming fiscal years for the schools in the Virginia district, including a $58 million reduction for the current K-12 school year that is nearly three-quarters complete.

The error in calculating basic state aid for K-12 school divisions occurred after the General Assembly adopted the two-year budget and was signed into law by Governor Glenn Youngkin last June.

NBC reported that the budget failed to consider a provision meant to protect localities from the elimination of the state's portion of the sales tax on groceries, which was part of a tax cut package pushed by Governor Youngkin and his predecessor, Governor Ralph Northam.

The mistake originated from an online tool used by school districts to estimate the amount of funding they should expect from the state.

This number is determined based on various factors, including the number of students in the district and the amount of property tax revenue received.

The flawed tool provided incorrect information, resulting in a significant underestimation of state funding for these school districts.

How will this affect Virginia schools' funding?

According to the Washington Post, the recent news about a flawed tool that overestimated the state aid for Prince William County by approximately $11 million for the upcoming fiscal year has caused concern among lawmakers and politicians.

The district is estimated to spend around $1.6 billion in the coming year, making the impact of this error significant.

According to Keith Perrigan, head of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia, there is a sense of panic regarding the situation.

The error made by the state education department can inhibit critical investments in the future, such as teacher staffing, special education teaching assistants, and safety improvements. Diana C. Gulotta, the Prince William County Public Schools spokeswoman, expressed her worries about the negative effects of this mistake.

The chairman of the Appropriations Committee expressed his regret over not being informed about the error sooner. Now, the House and Senate negotiators will have to find a resolution later in the legislative session.

The school funding error will significantly impact districts that rely heavily on state aid, particularly those in poor and rural communities that do not have a wealthy property tax base to fund their schools. In some of these districts, state aid makes up 80 percent of the funding for basic education services.