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HB 564

Public schools; classified instructional support staff, competitive compensation, biennial review.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Alex Askew and 2 co-sponsors

Virginia public schools must review classified instructional support staff pay biennially and implement competitive compensation standards to improve recruitment and retention.

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Bill Summary · HB 564

Legislative bill overview

HB 564 requires Virginia public schools to conduct biennial reviews of classified instructional support staff compensation and establish competitive pay standards. The bill aims to ensure that paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and similar support roles receive salaries competitive with comparable positions in their regions.

Why is this important

Instructional support staff are critical to classroom operations and student learning, yet historically face lower compensation relative to other education roles. Establishing competitive pay benchmarks could improve recruitment and retention of qualified support personnel, potentially reducing turnover costs and improving educational continuity for students.

Potential points of contention

  • Cost implications: School divisions may face significant budget pressures implementing competitive compensation adjustments across multiple support staff positions statewide
  • Funding mechanism unclear: The bill doesn't specify whether state or local funds cover compensation increases, potentially shifting fiscal burden to already-strained district budgets
  • Implementation variation: "Competitive compensation" lacks precise definition, potentially creating inconsistent standards across wealthy versus under-resourced districts
  • Administrative burden: Biennial reviews require ongoing data collection and analysis, adding compliance responsibilities to already-stretched school administration

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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