I’m thrilled to share some big news: in partnership with Virginia Secretary of Education, Dr. Jeffrey O. Smith, we’ve officially launched the Commonwealth Listening Tour!

We kicked things off yesterday in Hampton alongside Governor Spanberger at Bethel High School, and it was an inspiring reminder of just how much people care about the future of education in Virginia. Later that evening, the community of the Hampton Roads area joined us at Kecoughtan High School to share their ideas on how to better support students, teachers, and communities, and we’re already exploring ways to act on this feedback. 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue traveling across Virginia to do exactly what we did in Hampton — meet with students, families, educators, school leaders, and community members. We want to hear your thoughts on everything from literacy and math to school accountability and assessments, and use these insights to help shape stronger outcomes for every student in the Commonwealth. 

Your voice matters, and this is your opportunity to be part of the conversation.

Visit this page to find a listening session near you and register today. We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Attendees are encouraged to register in advance, as audience space is limited. Others may prefer to provide feedback to the VDOE via an online survey. 

The Office of Career and Technical Education is seeking CTE Competitive Innovative Program Equipment Grant Applications from interested school divisions and CTE Regional Centers. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will award 16 competitive grants for $37,500 each. Priority will be given to school divisions allocated less than $100,000 in Perkins V funding, state-identified challenged schools, the Governor’s STEM Academies, and the Governor’s Health Sciences Academies. 

The CTE Competitive Innovative Program Equipment Grant Application is due to the VDOE by 5 p.m. on March 20, 2026. The completed application should not exceed five pages, consisting of contact information, a one-to-two-page abstract, proposed budget, and the signed statement of assurance. 

The General Assembly allocated $600,000 for state fiscal year 2026 to update career and technical education equipment to industry standards. The appropriation provides competitive innovative program equipment grants for high-demand and fast-growth industry sectors based on data from the Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE). 

Language in the final FY 2024 and 2024-2026 state budgets (Chapters 1 and 2) require school divisions to report to the Department of Education on the use of their federal ESSER LEA formula funds since 2020 and on their use of the state ALL In initiative funds they received in FY 2024. An online survey was created to collect the data from divisions needed to meet this reporting requirement (survey link). In the survey, divisions will provide amounts expended across various use of funds categories presented. School divisions will also report how these funds address learning loss in Reading and Mathematics Achievement and support preparation and implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act. The Department will compile the survey data submitted by school divisions and submit a summary report to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by October 1, 2026. By the end of FY 26 all funds must be expended and reported on the survey.  This final report completes the statutory requirements.  

To assist divisions in completing the survey, a webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM and reoccurring on March 25, 2026 at the same time (link for both). Coordinators and Finance Contacts should expect individual emails to be sent with additional information including responses from last year’s survey.  

Thank you for your work on this collection. If you have any questions or have any technical issues, please contact Staci.Logest@doe.virginia.gov or Paige. Crewe@doe.virginia.gov.

On February 22, 2026, the Senate Finance and Appropriations and House Appropriations Committees adopted separate changes to the 2026-2028 biennial budget as introduced by Governor Youngkin. The budget recommendations of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee were adopted by the full membership of the Senate, and the budget recommendations of the House Appropriations Committee were adopted separately by the full membership of the House of Delegates on February 26, 2026.  

On February 20, 2026, the Senate and the House adopted amendments to the amended fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget, and it was signed into law by Governor Spanberger as Chapter 7. 

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has developed summaries of all budget actions related to the amended FY 2026 budget and the 2026-2028 biennial budget as introduced.  In addition, VDOE has developed budget documents that illustrate the incremental changes to the Governor’s budgets.  All documents can be accessed from the VDOE website.

VDOE will provide additional information during the General Assembly session as changes to the estimated Direct Aid payments occur. After the conclusion of the General Assembly session, VDOE will publish calculation templates for the adopted FY 2026 budget and the 2026-2028 biennial budget pursuant to §22.1-93 of the Code of Virginia.  

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is seeking nominations for qualified individuals to apply to serve on a Kindergarten-Grade 5 English Language Arts Core Program Standards Alignment Committee to review core literacy programs for alignment to the 2024 English Standards of Learning. These review committees will also serve as a professional learning opportunity to support educators reviewing materials for alignment to the 2024 English Standards of Learning. Educators who serve in schools whose data from the School Performance and Support Framework indicate an identification of Needs Intensive Support, or are Off-Track, along with schools that have a federal designation for English, are strongly encouraged to apply but applications are open to all educators.   

Nominees should be teachers, principals, administrators, content specialists, reading specialists, or other educators who have expertise with the content area and current standards. Individuals who wish to serve must apply using the Kindergarten-Grade 5 English Language Arts Core Program Standards Alignment Committee application available in ICAPS through SSWS by Wednesday, March 25, 2026. The application can be accessed through this ICAPS application link. 

Committee members will be selected on the basis of expertise, experience, and balanced regional representation and will be notified by Monday, April 13, 2026. Committee members will be asked to participate in virtual meetings and trainings starting May 2026.  Additional details regarding training and timeline information will be made available to committee members once committees have been selected and established.  

Kindergarten – Grade 5 English Language Arts Core Program Standards Alignment Review Committee Expectations:  

• Attend virtual trainings on the review process in May 2026. 
• Work independently and collaboratively to review core literacy programs for alignment to the 2024 English Standards of Learning. 
• Kindergarten – Grade 5 English Language Arts Core Program Standards Alignment Review Cycle: May – mid-July 2026. 

The History and Social Science program is proud to announce a new professional development series highlighting Virginia educators who presented at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference December 2025. These phenomenal educators will cover K-12 history and social science content and spotlight pedagogy and best practices, inclusive of inquiry-based learning. The spotlight series will feature educators from school divisions and will run through 2026. Please use this link to register for the session.

Title: Think, Build, Learn: Creative Constructions to Deepen Social Studies Connections
Presenters: Alissa Straus Elizabeth Daly, Homira Raonaq, Amanda Scheid, Henrico Public Schools  

• Session 1: Division Leads and Contacts
  • Date: March 17, 2026 
  • Time: 10-11 a.m.
• Session 2: Classroom Teachers
  • Date: March 18, 2026
  • Time: 3-4 p.m. 

For instructional support and information, please contact the History and Social Science Program at vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov.   

The Virginia Department of Education and James Madison University invite health, physical education, and driver education teachers and supervisors to the Healthy Kids, Healthy Virginia 2026 Health and Physical Activity Institute (HPAI), July 12-15 in Harrisonburg. Through hands-on workshops and dynamic sessions, educators will explore innovative instructional strategies and gain support for implementing Virginia's Health and Physical Education Standards of Learning.  

In addition, there are several pre-conference workshops on Sunday, July 12. These include First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Training and training on how to reverse an Opioid overdose with the REVIVE! Method, Bicycle Education Certification Course, PE 101: Tips and Tricks for Making Teaching Easier, and Strength Training in Physical Education: A Practical, Plug-and-Play Method.  

This professional development experience will be open to all health, physical, and driver education teachers, curriculum leaders, instructional coaches, administrators, and higher education faculty across the Commonwealth. Registration information and the Call for Presenters form for the Health and Physical Activity Institute are available online.  

The Chef Ann Foundation (CAF), in partnership with the VDOE-SCNP and the School Nutrition Association of Virginia, seeks to better understand Virginia’s school food labor challenges to guide support and program development. As such, CAF is working with the Food Insight Group to conduct the Virginia School Nutrition Department Vacancy & Turnover Rate Survey. School Nutrition Directors of public school divisions should expect a personalized invitation link to complete the survey. The survey is expected to take between 20-30 minutes and is open through March 27, 2026. 

If you have any questions related to the survey, or have not received the invitation link, please contact the evaluation team at SchoolNutritionVacancySurvey@foodinsightgroup.com.

If you need support with completing the survey, please contact Bee Thorp, Lead Farm to School Specialist, at Brittany.Thorp@doe.virginia.gov.