Del. Dickie Bell (R-Staunton) announced that House Bill 76, a bill he patroned, passed in the House of Delegates Thursday.

House Bill 76 requires school boards to allocate 65 percent of their operating budget to instructional spending. Any school division that fails to meet the 65-percent requirement must present a plan to the Board of Education to increase instructional spending by 0.5 percent in the following fiscal year.

“I am very happy to see this bill advance to the Senate,” says Bell. “This bill will ensure that money allocated for education is put in the classroom, where it is needed the most. As an educator, I understand the importance of this, and I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will as well.”

The bill was heard first in the Teachers and Administrative Action subcommittee of the Education Committee, and was then brought before the Full Education Committee earlier this week where it passed 13-8. It passed the House with a vote of 63-35.

House Bill 76 will now be sent to the Senate, where it will be referred to committee and voted on.