NORFOLK, Va. — More than 100 Virginia school divisions now have a plan to use funds to combat learning loss and chronic absenteeism.
It’s all part of the "ALL in VA" plan Governor Glenn Youngkin announced in September, where divisions are splitting $418 million.
The focus of the initiative is on attendance, literacy, and learning.
"We know we can do this together. We just have to make it happen," Youngkin said during a press conference earlier this year.
According to the Virginia Department of Education, students are still struggling with learning loss and chronic absenteeism. It's something Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said this initiative will help with.
"Despite all the hard work and efforts that are happening, our students are not recovering [from] learning loss as quickly as some other states," she said.
Now, two months after that announcement, most of the 131 divisions have submitted their plans on how they want to use the money.
"We want to make sure our school divisions are intentional," Coons said. "We want to make sure that we’re supporting those students that are struggling the most and that looks differently in the Tidewater area, that might look very different than in Roanoke or Northern Virginia."
Each division allotted 70% of funding for tutoring programs, 20% to advance and accelerate the Virginia Literacy Act, and 10% to address chronic absenteeism.
For example, in FY24, Virginia Beach is budgeting $7 million to pay tutors before, during, and after school as well as summer camps for at-risk students. They’re also budgeting $700,000 to employ 10 attendance ambassadors to provide outreach and support for families and schools with high levels of chronic absenteeism.
Norfolk’s absenteeism funds will support after-hours outreach by school-based mental health staff to intervene with students and families. They want to allot $10 million to contract tutors and hire retired teachers to tutor before or after school.
Portsmouth plans to hire attendance officers and parent liaisons to conduct bi-monthly attendance workshops.
"I think we’re very happy with the progress and we’re excited about how intentional our school divisions are being and how thoughtful they are and really digging in where they need to," said Coons.
She said they're encouraging the community to get involved and help with the tutoring as well.
"We encourage everyone who is watching this to sign up and become a tutor and support our schools."
In addition to Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth, other Hampton Roads school divisions that have submitted their plans are Suffolk, Newport News, and Chesapeake.
Hampton is still working to do so.
In a statement, Governor Youngkin said, "I am encouraged that Virginia school divisions are all in on high-intensity tutoring for math and reading, acceleration of Literacy Act funding, and tactics to combat chronic absenteeism. ALL IN VA focuses on the foundational elements of education, attendance, literacy, and learning to create a brighter future and deliver the education our students in the Commonwealth were robbed of for far too long."