Education advocates urge lawmakers to tap rainy day fund

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Most new spending is on hold as the state deals with the impact of the pandemic, but education advocates say Virginia should consider using reserves to restore school funding.

This week, supporters of the Fund Our Schools Coalition donned rain gear for an online rally, encouraging lawmakers to use the state’s rainy day fund for education.

Chad Stewart is the manager of education policy and development at the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.

“I would just point to the incredible need that we’re seeing from families and schools, really unprecedented needs at this time,” Stewart told WDBJ7 in an interview. “We save up our rainy day fund for a reason, for emergencies. And if there were ever a time to tap into it, now would be the time.”

The coalition is urging lawmakers to restore $500 million for programs they approved early this year, and $600 million to help schools respond to the continuing health emergency.