K-12 Public Education

Every child, no matter their zip code, deserves a quality education. Senator Favola strongly believes that we must fully and equitably fund our K-12 public schools, increase teacher pay, and invest in school infrastructure. She has worked to make our school buildings safe, environmentally sustainable, and able to support 21st century learning. Senator Favola advocated for a bill that would have allowed localities to increase their sales tax by not more than 1% to fund the construction and renovation of school buildings. As a member of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, she continually makes funding K-12 public schools and the educators who teach our children a top priority.

Senator Favola has worked to increase mental health services for K-12 students, including supporting funding increases for additional school counselors and social workers. She also passed legislation to ensure that school counselors actually spend their time counseling students, instead of administering SOL tests or conducting other administrative tasks. 

Senator Favola is a fierce advocate for students with disabilities and their families. She passed a law that enacts major reforms to the special education services in our public schools. This new law establishes parent resource centers throughout the state, provides training for educators on how to provide inclusive instruction, and creates statewide guidelines for the development of individualized education plans (IEPs), among other needed improvements. Senator Favola also passed a landmark law to minimize the use of seclusion and restraint in public schools. These harsh practices can be dangerous and traumatizing, and tend to be disproportionately used on students with disabilities and students of color.

Additionally, Senator Favola believes that standardized tests are not the best measure of a student’s success, and can often limit curriculum and learning, as educators feel pressured to teach strictly to the tests. She has worked to reduce the number of SOLs, and was pleased to support passage of a law that limits the number of standardized tests schools are required to administer. Senator Favola supported a new law that permits school boards to develop alternative assessments to measure academic growth.

Senator Favola was proud to receive the endorsement of the Arlington Education Association and the Virginia Education Association in her 2023 election.