Gov. Abigail Spanberger committed Oct. 29 to replacing Virginia's 52-year-old K-12 funding formula before leaving office in 2029, the Virginia Mercury reported.

The pledge carries weight in Fairfax County. Hunter Mill District School Board member Melanie Meren called the current Standards of Quality (SOQ) formula inadequate in a Fairfax County Times report published in September. She said the county spends roughly $1.18 billion beyond state funding to support services such as special education and multilingual instruction.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay listed strengthening public education among the county's top legislative priorities alongside transit funding and housing ahead of the January session, according to the Fairfax County Times.

What the governor said

Spanberger told the Mercury she wants the work done within her single term. She did not set a firm timeline for preparing it for the next biennium budget in December 2027.

"I'd do it tomorrow if we could do it … but we have to get it done before the end of our administration," Spanberger said.

The existing formula does not adequately reflect the real costs of operating schools and has forced local governments to spend far more on K-12 education than the state, according to the Mercury's reporting. Other states have taken two to three years to reform their formulas.

What happens next

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is expected to select a consultant during the General Assembly session that begins Jan. 13, 2027. The agency will publish a formal service request and accept bids before choosing a firm. The consultant will have up to 24 months.

The scope includes base funding per student, class sizes, extra weights for student needs, operating costs, transition provisions and the Local Composite Index. That index determines what each locality can pay for its schools.

Sarah Calveric, president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS), told the Mercury the association wants a student-driven formula that better addresses regional demographic differences and geographic needs. She said such a model would keep the focus on students, their specific needs and the geographic trends school divisions face daily.

A student-driven approach could also help districts attract and retain staff through alignment with prevailing wages and procure specialists such as mental health providers and literacy specialists, according to the Mercury.

Local pressure building

Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, who chairs the Joint Subcommittee to Study Elementary and Secondary Education Funding, said at the Oct. 26 meeting that completing the work by December 2027 would be "optimal." That would align with Spanberger's biennium budget request.

Spanberger said the limited timeframe of a single-term governorship is a challenge. Her administration has three years and two months left to finish the job.