Virginia Budget Adds $148 Million for Special Education Students

Last updated: June 24, 2026

If you are raising a child who needs extra support at school, you know how often that help depends on money that is never quite there. Class sizes, reading specialists, the aide who actually knows your child, all of it rides on a budget line written far from your kitchen table. On Monday, Virginia lawmakers advanced a two-year, $205 billion budget that puts real dollars behind that support, including $148.4 million set aside for special education students and a $1.4 billion increase for K-12 schools. The plan now sits with Governor Abigail Spanberger, who has until July 1 to sign it, recommend changes, or veto individual items.

TL;DR

Virginia's General Assembly advanced a two-year, $205 billion budget on June 22, 2026.
The plan raises K-12 funding by $1.4 billion and includes $148.4 million for special education students.
It funds a 4 percent teacher pay raise in each of the next two years and a 3.5 percent raise for state employees.
$28.9 million is directed to students considered at risk, inside a $590 million high-need pool.
Governor Abigail Spanberger has until July 1, 2026 to sign, amend, or veto items before the budget takes effect.

Virginia’s advanced two-year budget puts real money behind special education and teacher pay. Here is what is in it for families, and what still has to happen before July 1.

Common questions

How much does Virginia’s new budget add for special education?

The advanced budget directs $148.4 million to special education students, part of a $590 million pool for high-need groups that also includes $28.9 million for students considered at risk.

When does the Virginia budget take effect?

The new budget is set to take effect July 1, 2026. Governor Abigail Spanberger has until then to sign it, recommend changes, or veto specific line items.

Will every teacher get the raise in the budget?

The plan funds a 4 percent raise in each of the next two years, but local districts set final pay. Some boards have noted that state raises strain budgets when the state share does not cover the full cost, so timing and amounts vary by division.

My child is struggling at school. How do I get them evaluated for support?

Start by requesting an evaluation in writing from your school. A screener is a useful starting point, not a diagnosis. For formal accommodations like an IEP or 504 plan, or to rule out vision, hearing, or medical causes, a professional evaluation is the route.

Virginia's advanced two-year budget puts $148.4 million toward special education students and a 4 percent teacher raise each year. It now waits for the governor's signature before July 1. Tweet Now Follow Learning Success

What Virginia lawmakers approved

On June 22, 2026, the General Assembly approved a two-year, $205 billion budget proposal covering fiscal years 2026 through 2028. For schools, the plan raises K-12 funding by $1.4 billion and gives teachers a 4 percent raise in each of the next two years. State employees would see a 3.5 percent pay bump.

Inside that K-12 total, lawmakers set aside $590 million for rebenchmarking, declining enrollment, and high-need groups. That pool includes $148.4 million directed to special education students and $28.9 million for students considered at risk.

The budget passed both chambers with bipartisan support after months of negotiation, then moved to Governor Abigail Spanberger. In a statement after passage she said: “There is a lot to be proud of in this budget. It delivers raises for our teachers and public employees, makes new investments in our schools, includes a RGGI credit for residential customers and small businesses, and takes other tangible steps to make Virginia more affordable.”

Author Quote "

There is a lot to be proud of in this budget. It delivers raises for our teachers and public employees, makes new investments in our schools, includes a RGGI credit for residential customers and small businesses, and takes other tangible steps to make Virginia more affordable.

Context worth knowing

Most headlines centered on the budget's new tax on data centers, the issue that stalled negotiations for months. The school funding rode along with far less attention. The timing matters too: these figures are part of a budget the governor has not yet signed, and the special education total is one line inside a $205 billion plan, not a standalone bill. The support is real and worth tracking, and it is not final until July 1.

Why the special education line matters at home

Special education money is not abstract for the families who rely on it. It pays for the evaluations, the specialists, and the smaller groups where a child who learns differently finally gets time to take hold of a skill. When that funding rises, schools have more room to staff those supports instead of stretching one specialist across three buildings.

The teacher raise sits in the same picture. Schools across the country have struggled to keep experienced special education teachers, and pay is a large part of why. A 4 percent raise in each of two years gives districts a tool to hold onto the people who know your child by name.

None of this replaces what happens at home, where a parent stays a child’s steadiest teacher. A child’s brain keeps changing with the right kind of practice, and the strongest plans pair good school support with the strengths-based skill work families do together.

Key Takeaways:

Real dollars for support: Virginia's advanced budget sets aside $148.4 million for special education students and $28.9 million for at-risk students.

Teacher pay rises: The plan funds a 4 percent teacher raise in each of the next two years alongside a $1.4 billion K-12 increase.

Not final yet: Governor Spanberger has until July 1 to sign, amend, or veto parts of the plan.

What to watch before July 1

The budget is advanced, not final. Under Virginia law, the governor has until July 1 to sign it as written, send back recommended changes, or veto specific line items. Until she acts, the special education and teacher figures are a strong proposal rather than settled funding.

For families, the practical step is local. Once the budget is signed, ask your district how the new special education dollars reach your child’s school, and whether they fund staff, evaluations, or services your child already uses. Funding approved in Richmond helps most when it turns into a real person or program in your building.

It is also worth watching how districts handle the teacher raise. Some local boards have called state-mandated raises an unfunded mandate when the state share does not cover the full cost, so the headline number and the classroom reality sometimes differ.

A budget line is a promise, and you are the one who turns it into progress for your child. The system has a long habit of sorting kids into deficits and labels instead of developing the skills underneath, and more funding helps only when it reaches the child who needs it. While Richmond settles the numbers, the work that changes a child’s trajectory keeps happening at home, with the right kind of practice. The Learning Success All Access program puts that strengths-first approach within reach, with a free trial and a personalized Action Plan you keep either way.