A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-94 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local governing bodies; appropriations of local school funds to families for compulsory student attendance in nonpublic school settings.
HB1204 would amend Virginia Code § 22.1-94 to allow local governing bodies to reserve per-pupil amounts from local school appropriations and instead pay those amounts to parents of students in the local school division for use in nonpublic school settings. The bill keeps the existing authority for local governments to appropriate funds to school boards for public school operation, capital outlay, and debt service, but adds an option for families to receive public-school-related funding directly when they satisfy compulsory attendance requirements outside the public school system.
In practical terms, the bill creates a mechanism for local school funds to follow a student into a private or other nonpublic educational setting, rather than being limited to school board appropriations. It would affect local governing bodies, school boards, parents, and students subject to compulsory attendance laws, and could alter how local education dollars are allocated within a school division.
The bill would modify § 22.1-94 of the Code of Virginia by expressly authorizing local governing bodies to redirect reserved per-pupil amounts from public school appropriations to parents whose children attend nonpublic school settings under the compulsory attendance law in § 22.1-254. This would expand local fiscal discretion and create a new statutory basis for education funding to be used for private or other nonpublic schooling, while leaving the existing framework for public school appropriations intact.
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct debate or formal sentiment can be measured from the legislative record here. Based on the bill text alone, the proposal appears to reflect support for parental choice and alternative education funding, but the absence of votes or discussion means the level of support or opposition is not documented in the supplied context.
The main point of contention would likely be whether public school funds should be allowed to follow students into nonpublic school settings. Supporters would likely emphasize parental choice, flexibility, and equitable access to education dollars, while opponents may argue the bill diverts local revenues away from public schools, weakens school board control over appropriations, and raises concerns about accountability for funds used outside the public system.