With the 2024 Virginia General Assembly Session just a month away, a legislator has reintroduced a proposal to increase funding for school construction.
State Senator Jeremy McPike (D) has introduced a bill that would allow municipal governments to impose an additional sales tax of no more than 1%, with the money going toward school construction and renovation.
Currently, only nine municipalities in Virginia are allowed to impose such a tax.
“We are $25 billion behind in the age and infrastructure of our school system throughout Virginia,” McPike said.
The bill comes after a 2021 study found that over half of Virginia’s public school buildings are more than 50 years old.
“Whether it’s leaky roofs, or HVAC systems that are broken, no kid should be learning an environment that is not conducive,” McPike told 8News.
A tax could only be imposed by a municipality if its voters approve the increase in a referendum.
“I can’t judge what’s the right fit for each locality,” McPike explained. Some might say it’s not a good idea [or] it’s not the right fit for us. That is exactly their option, but it’s still a tool for them to think about.”
A similar measure passed the State Senate earlier this year, before dying in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.
8News reached out to a House GOP spokesperson to set up an interview with a delegate opposed to his bill, but nobody was made available.
Source: Wavy
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