Local governing bodies; school division budgets, funding levels.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not include details about a study group or reporting date for best practices. These may be part of another section or bill.

School Division Budget Requirements

This bill requires local governing bodies to fund school division budgets at or above levels set by the school board's needs-based budget.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the annual budget for educational purposes prepared and approved by each local governing body to meet or exceed the funding levels set out in the needs-based budget prepared and approved by the school board.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local governing bodies that prepare educational budgets
• School boards and division superintendents who create needs-based budgets

Terms To Know

Needs-Based Budget

A budget prepared by the school board to meet specific funding requirements for education.

Local Governing Body

The local government responsible for creating and approving budgets, including educational budgets.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if a local governing body does not meet the funding requirements.
• The bill's status is enacted but it has not yet been assigned an effective date.
• The study group report by November 1, 2026, is part of another section and may be separate from this bill.

Official Summary Text

Local governing bodies; school division budgets; funding levels.
Requires the annual budget for educational purposes prepared and approved by each local governing body to meet or exceed the funding levels set out in the needs-based budget prepared and approved by the school board and submitted by the division superintendent in accordance with relevant law.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL NO. 412

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee on Education

on February 4, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Cole, N.)

A BILL to require the Joint Subcommittee to Study Elementary & Secondary Education Funding to study annual needs-based school board budgets; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
The Joint Subcommittee to Study Elementary & Secondary Education
F
unding
(the Joint Subcommittee)
shall
study and recommend best practices
, to include the use of memoranda of understanding,
for
developing,
submitting, and emphasiz
ing
the importance of funding
by local
ities
of annual needs-based school board budge
ts as set forth in
§§
22.1-92
and
22.1-93
of the Code of Virginia. The Joint Subcommittee shall
submit its findings and recommendations no later than November 1, 2026, to the Chairs of the House Committee on

Appropriations, the
House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.