The Virginia House of Delegates passed additional bills included in Governor Bob McDonnell’s All Students Initiative on Tuesday. The House passed House Bill 2066, which eliminates Standards of Quality staffing requirements, House Bill 2098, which allows school boards to receive waivers from state regulations more easily, and House Bill 2083, which creates the strategic compensation grant initiative.

“Today, the House of Delegates passed several important K-12 education bills included in the Governor’s All Students reform agenda,” said House Majority Leader Kirk Cox. “The measures passed today will reward our hardworking teachers, remove mandates to give localities more flexibility with state funding, and promote early reading initiatives in low performing schools. Thus far, all of the major education reforms have passed with solid bipartisan support, and we are looking forward to continued bipartisan support for these important K-12 reforms.”

Speaking on House Bill 2066, Delegate Chris Peace (R-Hanover) said decisions about how to educate our children are best made at the local level.

“We understand that a good education isn’t the product of work done in Richmond, but the product of work done in classrooms and around kitchen tables throughout the Commonwealth,” said Peace. “This legislation will allow local school leaders to make the best decisions about how to staff their schools and classrooms and they’re in a far better position to make those decisions than anyone in Richmond.”

Delegate Bob Tata (R-Virginia Beach), chairman of the House Committee on Education carried House Bill 2098, which allows school boards to more easily receive waivers from state regulation.

“The greater flexibility we allow our local school boards, the better equipped they will be to serve our students and their families,” said Chairman Tata. “By allowing local school divisions more room to adjust and grow, they will be positioned to keep up with the unique needs and circumstances of Virginia schools. Not every school’s needs are the same, so not every school’s staff should be either. This bill is a step in the right direction, and I am proud that we have passed this measure, along with other items of Governor McDonnell’s K-12 agenda.”