Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of offering welcoming remarks at the closing ceremony for the Norfolk site of Horizons Hampton Roads’ Summer Enrichment Program. 

Over the past five weeks, 120 K-8 students and 20 high school students participated in Horizons’ incredible free summer program, diving into hands-on STEM and literacy learning, swimming, the arts, educational field trips, and leadership development. 

It was such a joy to celebrate alongside students, families, teachers, and community partners as we recognized all they accomplished this summer. High-quality summer learning programs like Horizons play an important role in supporting student achievement by helping students strengthen literacy and academic skills, stay engaged in learning, and return to school ready to build on their success in the year ahead. 

Kudos to Horizons Hampton Roads and thank you to the many outstanding summer programs across Virginia that are helping make this summer full of learning and growth for Virginia's students! 

The 2025-26 Annual School Report (ASR) must be submitted to the VDOE by September 15, as required by Code of Virginia §22.1-81. School divisions and regional programs that wish to file for an extension (until September 30) for their 2025-26 ASR must, per Code of Virginia §22.1-81, submit a written request signed by the division superintendent, or designee, to Christina Berta, Chief Operations Officer, to the email address: DOEBUDGETOFFICE@doe.virginia.gov, prior to the September 15 deadline. The submitted extension letter must cite a good cause for the extension of time. The signed extension letter must be attached as a .pdf file to the email, with “2025-26 ASR EXTENSION” in the subject line of the email.

Each school division and regional program will use the Web-based Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) portal to access, download, and submit the 2025-26 ASR Excel template and text file to the Department. Instructional and resource documents are located within the SSWS application. Once a division has successfully completed the 2025-26 ASR in the ASR application in SSWS, the division superintendent or designee will approve and certify the Superintendent’s Verification Report through the Superintendent’s Data Collection Approvals (SDCA) application. 

The collection window will open in mid-August. If you have any questions about the ASR data collection process, please contact the Budget Office at DOEBUDGETOFFICE@doe.virginia.gov or (804) 225-2025. 

VDOE is offering a continued grant opportunity to support statewide training and assistance for school divisions’ continued implementation of and compliance with the Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia.  

School divisions are required to ensure that all school personnel receive initial training regarding the regulations, policies, and procedures governing the use of physical restraint and seclusion per their division policy. Per the regulations, two levels of training are required. To fulfill the first-level training, VDOE, in partnership with the Center for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems (CIEES) at Old Dominion University, developed a series of free, on-demand professional development modules for school personnel, Understanding the Regulations Governing the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia. 

Appropriated funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 will be allocated to Regional Fiscal Agents in support of second-level training for local school divisions through submission of the Request for Funding Application by October 1. School divisions that received funding in FY 2026 for second-level training must complete the Certification Submission for their Regional Fiscal Agent to submit by October 30.

The Office of Innovation announces the opening of applications for the Targeted Extended/Enriched School Year and Year-Round School Grant Program, which provides state funding to support divisions in designing and implementing innovative calendars that extend or enrich traditional instructional models. Funding may be used to expand instructional time, adopt year-round schedules, or implement new instructional or governance approaches that improve student learning outcomes.  

This program, supported through Chapter 725, Item 124 M, includes both planning grants (up to $50,000) and startup grants (up to $300,000 per school, or $400,000 for schools identified as Needs Intensive Support or Off Track). Priority consideration is based on Fall 2025 School Performance and Support Framework results. Planning grant applications must include evidence of commitment to implementing the proposed model in the 2027-28 year.  

Application materials will be accessible on the Targeted Extended/Enriched School Year and Year-Round School Grant webpage along with guidance documents and supporting resources. Completed applications may be submitted to innovation@doe.virginia.gov no later than August 25.   

VDOE is pleased to announce the release of the Advancing Computer Science Education (ACSE) FY27 Competitive Grant. With $1.35 million in appropriated funding, this grant supports implementation of the 2024 Virginia Computer Science Standards of Learning, ensuring high-quality professional learning, instructional resources, and innovative learning opportunities across the Commonwealth.  

Eligible applicants include local educational agencies, regional consortia, and institutions of higher education serving as lead applicants on behalf of multiple divisions. Priority consideration will be given to regional consortia and proposals that expand access or strengthen computer science learning for at risk students and schools.  

Projects should align with ACSE legislative priorities and demonstrate commitments to expanding access, increasing participation, strengthening implementation, and achieving measurable outcomes.  

The Request for Proposals (RFP), application materials, webinar, and FAQs are available on the VDOE Advancing Computer Science Education webpage. Completed applications should be submitted to vdoe.computerscience@doe.virginia.gov no later than August 25.  

VDOE invites proposals for a School Division of Innovation (SDI) Planning Grant to support divisions in developing a SDI Plan for submission to the Virginia Board of Education. Through Chapter 725 of the 2026 Acts of Assembly, grants of up to $50,000 are available to individual school divisions or consortia to support stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, development of innovative instructional models, and alignment with workforce needs and student mastery outcomes.  

A strong proposal will demonstrate:  

• A clear executive summary aligned with SDI program purpose  
• Evidence of full accreditation for all schools within the division  
• A robust process for developing SDI goals and performance targets  
• A research-driven plan with active stakeholder engagement  
• A detailed approach to evaluating student success measures such as mastery-based learning and readiness indicators  

Applications and related materials will be available on the SDI webpage. Completed applications should be submitted to innovation@doe.virginia.gov no later than August 26.   

The VDOE Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (SCNP), is communicating the process for the annual collection of Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting information. Only Private schools, RCCIs, and community organizations must submit the school year (SY) 2026-27 FFATA form by email to SchoolNutritionPrograms@doe.virginia.gov by September 30, or within 30 days following an approved VDOE-SCNP application. The SY 2026-27 FFATA Reporting Form and FFATA Document Instructions are in SNPWeb Download Forms. The VDOE Office of Finance will directly advise public school divisions on FFATA reporting. No action is required from the School Nutrition Administrator at public school divisions.   

Please review SCNP (Dir.) Memo #2026-2027-04 for more information. 

Breakfast After the Bell (BaB) is the state funding that supports a per-meal reimbursement for breakfasts served using an alternative service model (grab and go, second chance, and breakfast in the classroom). The goal of the additional funds is to increase student breakfast participation, as research suggests increased breakfast participation improves attendance and academic achievement. 

BaB is only available to eligible public schools. Awarded schools are paid at the following rates per breakfast served until the allocated state funds ($1.074 million/fiscal year) are exhausted: 

• Elementary schools: $0.05 per breakfast served 
• Middle schools: $0.10 per breakfast served  
• High schools: $0.10 per breakfast served 

Starting in school year (SY) 2026-27, BaB applications will be streamlined with data entry in the existing SNPWeb software. Public school divisions with eligible schools may apply for SY 2026-27 BaB by August 23. The instructions for applying can be accessed by SNPWeb users in Download Forms, “BaB Application Instructions.” 

Public school divisions interested in applying are encouraged to review: 

• SCNP (Dir.) Memo #2026-2027-05: Details information for applicant schools. 
• Memo #2026-2027-05, Attachment A: BaB Certification Statement 
• Memo #2026-2027-05, Attachment B: BaB Application Rules  

The Virginia General Assembly recently amended Virginia Code § 22.1-254 resulting in an important update for students from military-connected families. Effective July 1, a student whose immediate family member is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in Virginia Code § 22.1-360, and who has received orders for deployment outside the United States, is on leave from such deployment, or has recently returned from deployment, will be granted up to five excused absences to spend time with that family member in connection with the deployment or leave. If requested by the local school division, the student must provide written documentation verifying the family member’s leave or deployment. 

School divisions should review and, if necessary, update local attendance policies, procedures, and staff guidance to ensure alignment with this statutory requirement for the 2026-27 school year. For more information, refer to the VDOE Attendance and School Engagement web page and the VDOE Military Families web page. 

On June 26, the United States Navy informed military and civilian families evacuated from Bahrain at the start of Operation Epic Fury that it does not intend to return these families back to Bahrain before the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.  

All Safe Haven families will receive an Ordered Departure Memorandum along with official orders. Parents of school-age children are being advised to consider enrolling students at an alternate Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) school or in their local school division pending a future decision on the return of families as conditions allow. High school students previously enrolled in the DoWEA school in Bahrain have been given the option to continue in a full-time DoWEA virtual school to complete their high school studies.  

For students and parents, the uncertainty of when or if they will return can be quite stressful, especially considering that the situation makes it difficult for the family to commit to more permanent living arrangements. VDOE suggests that school divisions review both Code of Virginia § 22.1-3 subsection 3 and Project Hope Virginia to determine how best to support enrollment of students who were affected by this evacuation.