HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a batch of bipartisan bills aimed at improving Virginia's education system at a ceremonial signing at Highand Springs High School on Monday.
Among the bills signed is one that enrolls Virginia in the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, which aims to address teacher shortages by allowing participating states to recognize each other's licenses in some cases to allow for faster onboarding.
"We need to be doing everything we can do to recruit and retain the best educators in the country," Spanberger said.
The bill's sponsor, Delegate Jackie Glass (D-Norfolk), says it is especially helpful for military families.
"We're not getting rid of any standards. We're just saying that when you come here, we want you to get right to work. We want you to be able to be able to come from California to Virginia and get into our classrooms. If you're already a certified teacher," said Glass. "It's like a driver's license, man. I can go drive in California and I could come to Virginia, but I know I've got to follow their rules. We're just making it easy.
Over the last few years, Virginia has seen a decline in the number of teacher vacancies. According to the state's dashboard, the vacancy rate was 3.9% in the 2023-24 school year and is down to 2.5% this school year.
In Central Virginia, that number was 4.1% this school year.
Henrico County Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell says her division has about a 3% vacancy rate. She adds not all of those positions are teachers, but for those that are, special education, high school math, and world languages are among the most in-demand.
"We see, nationally, fewer teachers coming out of traditional teacher prep programs, so anything we can do to draw upon other resources where there are there are individuals with degrees and content they may be excited about, who didn't know they wanted to be teachers at first, but are ready to take that on," said Cashwell. "We're thrilled to open those doors a little broader and assist in getting qualified individuals in our classrooms."
Another bill keeps a school construction and modernization commission in place that was set to expire this year and directs it to develop a 10-year road map for what will be needed across the Commonwealth.
"The bill ensures Virginia does not treat school construction like a one-time conversation or a crisis we revisit only when conditions are so bad off, but that we are again intentional about its needs," Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Henrico) said.
Other bills signed require schools to notify parents of enrollment deadlines, expand history graduation requirements, and expand access to SAT testing.
Following the signing, Spanberger was asked about changes to Virginia's education system made under former Governor Glenn Youngkin — including higher Standards of Learning (SOL) cut scores and a new accountability system — and whether she would keep those in place. She said no immediate major changes are planned, but her administration is reviewing them.
"To ensure that those high standards and strong accountability measures are actually partnered with an ability to ensure student success and every access to everything that might be needed from an educator perspective to actually deliver and improve upon those scores," Spanberger said. "It has to be a system that works for kids and a system that works for our schools. And so, even when something's working, you can always have a question of what can make it better. And so, that is the sort of kind of continuous improvement mindset that I would bring to that."
Spanberger also gave an update on legislation she has not yet signed and faces a May 23 deadline to act upon, including paid sick leave and retail marijuana.
She said she plans to announce her actions before the deadline so that lawmakers can focus on finishing the state's two-year budget.
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