Fund Our Schools Virginia
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fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Fund Our Schools Virginia
@fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
110 followers 120 following 120 posts
A Virginia statewide coalition of parents, teachers, and organizations fighting for fully and fairly funded schools where every student has access to a high-quality public education regardless of their zip code.

https://www.fundourschoolsva.org
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fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
90% of students in America attend public schools—and they deserve the resources to thrive. When we fund our schools, we invest in our future. 💡 #WeBelieveInPublicEducation #AEW2025
A simple graphic with a red background that just says "Public education in America should be well-funded. #AEW2025" with a logo for We Believe in Education in the bottom right corner.
November 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
It's scary when our schools don't receive enough funding to:

🎃 be fully staffed
🎃 maintain and update buildings
🎃 support mental health and community engagement

That's why we're fighting for the state and federal governments to do their part and fund our schools!
Text says "A haunted house but it's just a school that doesn't get enough funding" over a spooky background with cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns
October 31, 2025 at 5:33 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Youth and allies - join the Safe & Restorative Schools Learning Tour! The Black Youth Mental Health Collaborative is recruiting youth to lead convos with decision-makers and gain leadership skills. We're also looking for adults and orgs to support.
Learn more: transformativechanges.org/safer-schools
October 23, 2025 at 10:16 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
We are excited to announce our 2025 Education Champions: @senatorhashmi.bsky.social, Senator Pekarsky, Delegate Bulova, Delegate Coyner, Delegate McQuinn, and Delegate @samrasoul.bsky.social!

Learn more about these legislators and why they were chosen: www.fundourschoolsva.org/announcing-o...
"Announcing our 2025 Education Champions! These six legislators went above and beyond this legislative session to fight for funding for our public schools." Below the text is the Fund Our Schools Coalition logo
August 26, 2025 at 3:05 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
We believe strongly that the US Education Department should not be weaponizing federal funding to punish our public schools, and we stand with the five school divisions in NOVA that are having their federal funding threatened.

Learn more: patch.com/virginia/ash...
"The US Education Department should not be weaponizing federal funding to punish our public schools. These actions are well outside the bounds of the normal process for when the federal government disagrees with school division policies, instead jumping straight to punishing students by withholding funding for critical services. By targeting Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, and Alexandria, the federal government is undermining locally developed policies that protect and support students." "Hundreds of thousands of public school students in these divisions rely on federal funds for staffing, support programs, and disability accommodations. These funds are crucial to the safety and well-being of our students, educators, and communities and shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip in a political game. We stand with these five NOVA divisions and call on the federal government to rescind the “high risk” designation they were placed into, which makes it harder for them to access the federal funds their students are entitled to."
August 21, 2025 at 8:51 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Please join us in welcoming our newest coalition member, the Virginia Association of School Social Workers!

VASSW is dedicated to promoting excellence in school social work, supporting student and family well-being, and advocating for quality education across VA. Learn more: vassw.org
VASSW logo: The words "Virginia Association of School Social Workers" with a green block and a blue and black rainbow behind them.
August 20, 2025 at 4:20 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
We are holding another Town Hall on 8/12 - virtual this time!

If you missed our Richmond event this is a great opportunity to learn more about what's happening with school funding policy and give your input for our 2026 legislative priorities.

RSVP: bit.ly/FOSVirtual
A photo of people at a rally holding up pro-public school funding signs above text that reads "School Funding Town Hall: Join us for a virtual town hall meeting to learn more about the fight for fully and fairly funded public schools in Virginia and how to get engaged. Virtual: Tuesday, 8/12, 7pm. Zoom: RSVP at bit.ly/FOSVirtual"
July 29, 2025 at 10:46 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Some of our coalition members had a great time attending
EdTrust-Tennessee's School Finance Institute! Our very own Alex Blocker of the Legal Aid Justice Center was part of a panel discussion and presented about how we won full funding for school support staff.
July 28, 2025 at 5:43 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Town Hall event in Richmond last week! We had some great discussions about funding issues in our public schools.

If you couldn't make it but still want to share thoughts, you can fill out this survey: bit.ly/FOSSurvey2025
A Black woman stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone in front of a presentation that says "What are the biggest issues & funding needs in your school systems?" A white man sits in a row of people that are all looking towards him and speaks into a microphone A white woman turns around in her seat and speaks into a microphone to address participants behind her A Black woman sits and speaks into a microphone while holding a small notepad in the other hand
July 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Our Town Hall event in Richmond is one week away - we hope to see you there!
A photo of people at a rally holding up pro-public school funding signs above text that reads "School Funding Town Hall: Join us for an in-person town hall meeting in Richmond to learn more bout the fight for fully and fairly funded public schools in Virginia and how to get engaged. Richmond: Tuesday, July 15, 6:30pm at Firefly Hall: 3865 Mastin Ln."
July 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Join us on July 15 in Richmond for an in-person town hall about public school funding!

We want to hear from parents, teachers, school staff, students, and community members about the most pressing public school funding issues that you see in your community.
A photo of people at a rally holding up pro-public school funding signs above text that reads "School Funding Town Hall: Join us for an in-person town hall meeting in Richmond to learn more bout the fight for fully and fairly funded public schools in Virginia and how to get engaged. Richmond: Tuesday, July 15, 6:30pm at Firefly Hall: 3865 Mastin Ln."
June 30, 2025 at 8:18 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Last week we held a hybrid gathering in Richmond to do some deep thinking about coalition strategy and plan for next year's legislative session!
Four people stand in a conference room in front of a white board that has sticky notes on it Three people sitting at a table in a conference room in front of a large screen with a presentation on it titled "Prioritization and filtering" Four people stand in a conference room in front of a whiteboard with sticky notes on it
June 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
The federal budget bill passed by the House last week includes a private school voucher scheme and cuts to Medicaid that would hurt public school funding by blowing a hold in our state budget.

Contact your representatives: bit.ly/FOSAct
"Take action: Contact your representatives and urge them to oppose cuts to Medicaid and private school vouchers in the federal budget! bit.ly/FOSAct" at the bottom is the Fund Our Schools logo
May 28, 2025 at 3:06 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Our educators do so much for our children and our communities, and we deeply value their work. One of the best ways to show appreciation is by making sure our teachers are well-compensated, which is why we consistently advocate for pay raises for school staff.
A woman sits in a chair and shows a paper model of a sunflower to five young children sitting on the floor around her. Text in upper left hand corner reads "Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!" and at the bottom is the Fund Our Schools logo
May 6, 2025 at 4:45 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
There's a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to voucher programs, so we're here to help show what's fact and what's fiction!

Learn more: bit.ly/PEER-Voucher-Report
"Fiction: Voucher programs make private schools accessible to everybody. Fact: Existing voucher programs are often utilized primarily by students that have never attended public school. Most voucher programs, including the one proposed by Governor Youngkin, only cover a small fraction of the average private school tuition and therefore wouldn't actually enable many low-income students to attend private school."
April 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
There's a lot of misinformation out there about voucher programs, so we're here to do some myth-busting.

Learn more: fundourschoolsva.org/resources/facts-on-k-12-vouchers-and-savings-accounts/
"Fiction: Private schools improve educational outcomes. Fact: It’s been shown in many studies that attending private school doesn’t necessarily boost educational outcomes. Vouchers specifically have been shown not to improve student achievement on average, with nearly all large-scale studies showing that voucher programs decrease test scores"
April 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Rural and urban districts with large numbers of low-income students often receive the most federal public school funding because they need it the most.

Check out our new interactive map to compare how much federal funding different VA divisions receive: www.fundourschoolsva.org/federal-advo...
A map of Virginia with each school division colored a slightly different shade of teal
April 9, 2025 at 3:30 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Families of students with disabilities are feeling a lot of anxiety as the future of federal IDEA funding, which is administered through the Department of Education, remains unclear.

Here's one Harrisonburg family's story about why IDEA funding matters: www.fundourschoolsva.org/how-one-harr...
A professional family portrait in front of a blue background. A Black man and a white woman are both wearing black outfits and standing behind two multiracial children. The younger child is wearing a pink dress and being held up by her father and looking at the camera, and the older child is wearing a white polka dot shirt and has her face turned upward smiling at her little sister.
March 27, 2025 at 7:20 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
The governor's BA's and vetos included less funding for support staff, funds for private school vouchers, and vetoing a bill that would improve school-based mental health services for students of different cultural and language backgrounds.

Our statement: www.fundourschoolsva.org/statement-on...
Fund Our Schools Coalition logo - an outline of the state of Virginia striped in blue and teal next to the words "Fund Our Schools"
March 25, 2025 at 6:18 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
Vouchers don’t cover the cost of private school—you do. When vouchers divert taxpayer money to private schools, public schools lose programs, increase class size, and even shut down, harming students. Learn more about how vouchers harm public schools in PEER's report: bit.ly/PEER-Voucher-Report
A graphic showing with arrows money going from tax dollars to public schools but some of it being diverted through voucher programs to go to private schools. Text reads "Vouchers divert public school funding to private schools."
March 19, 2025 at 1:56 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
It's #PublicSchoolsWeek! Public schools are the heart of our communities and strengthening them benefits everyone.

#VaLeg passed a budget that would provide crucial investments in our public schools, and now it's headed to the governor's desk. Our statement: www.fundourschoolsva.org/our-statemen...
A picture of a diverse group of children boarding a school bus. Text says "Happy public schools week!" and the Fund Our Schools Coalition logo is at the bottom
February 24, 2025 at 7:11 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
The conference budget released today takes a big step towards fully and fairly funding our public schools by lifting the support cap, creating a new add-on for students with disabilities, and prioritizing public education.

Read our full statement: www.fundourschoolsva.org/our-statemen...
"Thanks to the tireless advocacy of parents, educators, students, and community leaders, this budget takes a major step toward fully and fairly funded schools by lifting the harmful support cap, creating a new add-on for students with disabilities, and directing hundreds of millions of dollars toward strengthening public education."
February 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
The conference budget released today takes a big step towards fully and fairly funding our public schools by lifting the support cap, creating a new add-on for students with disabilities, and prioritizing public education.

Read our full statement:
"Thanks to the tireless advocacy of parents, educators, students, and community leaders, this budget takes a major step toward fully and fairly funded schools by lifting the harmful support cap, creating a new add-on for students with disabilities, and directing hundreds of millions of dollars toward strengthening public education."
February 20, 2025 at 10:11 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
This Valentine's Day we are sending love to our public schools and to the teachers, staff, families, and students who make them great.

The best way to show that love is by fighting for our public schools to get what they need - more funding!
Graphic says "We LOVE public schools. Let's fund them." over a background of many small hearts. In the bottom right corner the FOS logo is in a big heart.
February 14, 2025 at 3:19 PM
fundourschoolsva.bsky.social
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our Advocacy Day on Thursday! We had lots of amazing conversations with legislators about the importance of prioritizing funding for our public schools - and we're really jazzed about our new t-shirts!
A racially diverse group of ten people wearing "Fund Our Schools" t-shirts standing in a lobby at the Virginia Capitol building A group of several people wearing "Fund Our Schools" t-shirts sitting in a balcony in the General Assembly building A group of four Fund Our Schools advocates standing with a man in a suit A group of six fund our schools advocates standing with a legislator in a suit in a legislator's office
February 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM