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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Fall 2015 13
Education:
A Community Schools Policy Initiative
There is a wide range of issues facing our education system,
including persistent achievement gaps, chronically underperforming
schools, and the declining desirability of teaching as a profession.
Children across the Commonwealth of Virginia do not have equal
access to resources needed to achieve academic success. Often, schools
in low-income communities serve students with more pervasive
academic, nutritional, health, and socio-emotional needs. Teachers are
forced to wear multiple hats, social worker, college counselor, food
bank, and triage nurse, instead of focusing on quality instruction.
Our solution is to create a grant program that establishes a pilot
of community schools across the state. The Coalition for Community
Schools defines community schools as, “both a place and set of
partnerships between the school and other community resources.
Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services,
youth and community development and community engagement
leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier
communities.” Community schools are an effective, cost-efficient
way to strengthen our public elementary and secondary school system.
In its initial phase, the pilot program awards grants to five K-12
schools across five fiscal years, allowing time to assess student
performance and adjust programming. For succession planning
purposes, an advisory review board, assesses the effectiveness,
measures return on investment, identifies trends and best practices,
as well as makes recommendations for future expansion. The board is
introduced as complimentary legislation to the budget amendment for
the grant program.
The fiscal impact of the proposal is $3.425 million in General
Funds, spanning FY 2017-2021. Annual fiscal impact, totaling
$685,000, reflects associated costs of establishing and assessing the
effectiveness of five pilot community schools: grants for program
administration, salary and benefits for a central coordinator at the
Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), salary and benefits for
one site program coordinator per school, and miscellaneous funds for
supplies, travel, outreach, community events, etc.
Through the Constitution of Virginia, localities have more
authority: “Local school boards and local school superintendents
manage the most expensive government service provided by Virginia
government, K-12 education.” Resources, rather than the authority to
establish community schools, remain an issue. Therefore, the grant
program administered byVDOE, would assist a great deal in providing
the means to expand this initiative. To make this idea a reality, it is
important to view the proposal from all angles, rally support from
stakeholders and be flexible in interacting with state legislators and
other political leaders in explaining the importance of community
schools and why there should be expansion throughout Virginia.
By adopting a community approach, centralizing and
streamlining existing services, allowing flexibility to localities
with regards to implementation, and facilitating public-private
partnerships, community schools foster a unified approach to
education. By addressing students’ basic needs and surrounding them
with the wraparound services they need to be successful, community
schools create healthier, higher achieving students, families, and
communities.
Economic Development:
Investing in Small Farms
This policy group took seriously Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s
admonition to “take risks and be bold. We cannot hope to accomplish
great things if we are not willing to take chances.” The group tried
to adopt an approach for invigorating Virginia’s economy with the
belief that taking daring and diversified steps to create a broad and
sustainable array of markets is essential to the growth of Virginia’s
economy.
With such a commitment, combined with the state’s abundance of
agricultural resources, the group proposed a pilot program investing
in the development and growth of small farms to implement viable
economic development. They propose creation of a Virginia Small
Farms Investment Fund that would provide resources to new and
emerging farmers in Virginia by providing matching grant funds for
investing in their creation and growth. This fund, administered by the
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, would
allocate $1 million each year to match up to 10 percent of a farmer’s
capital investment.
Statistics for small farms investments coupled with the size of
the grant program could equate to an $18 million direct return on
investment to Virginia’s economy, the group said. Implementing this
would be in line with many steps that provide the tools to facilitate the
Commonwealth’s plans to diversify its economy. Small and family-
owned farms that currently operate in Virginia, or those seeking to
start a farm, and make less than $350,000 in gross income from their
farm would be eligible for this investment subsidy. This program
would work similarly to the Small Business Investment Grant Fund
currently administered by the Virginia Department of Small Business
and Supplier Diversity. Eligible applicants could receive up to 10
percent matching funds for farm-related capital investments. This
investment grant fund would be designed to help spur and sustain the
growth of small farms in Virginia.
With passage of this proposal, Virginia would see growth and
diversification in the largest sector of the state’s economy. Anticipated
short-term results would include increased productivity in agricultural
yields, increased spending in capital investments on farms and an
increasing number of farms contributing local food and farm products.
It would incentivize farmers to find ways to become more productive
and help ensure that farmers continue to produce safe and quality
products. It would help increase farm revenue and find and fund new
farmers, young farmers and others currently not able to afford new
technology.
Agriculture has long served Virginia well. This proposal would
boost the state’s economic wellbeing by enhancing farm-to-table
productivity of small farms that ensure continued growth in local
food and protect Virginia’s healthy balance of farmland in a rich
geographical diversity.
Fine Art Photographer
Seasons House on Trumpington Court
Chester eld, VA 23838-2110
804.739.1955
WANDA JUDD
Settle and Associates Inc.
Janet S. Settle
Settle and Associates Inc.
288 Clubhouse Drive
Abingdon, Virginia 24211-3839
Mobile: 804-347-9163
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