Virginia
State Government
Governor
Glenn Youngkin (R)
State Senate
21
Democrats,
19
Republicans
State House
49
Democrats,
51
Republicans
Economic well-being - Virginia
Extreme poverty rate
0.06
Food insecurity
0.121
Minimum wage
12.4
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.241
Poverty rate
9.7%
Unemployment rate
3.6
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
6.9
Poverty by demographic - Virginia
Child poverty rate
0.12
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
18000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
164000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
121000
Senior poverty rate
9.5 %
Women in poverty
4,360,482
Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 28, 2012: Help for the homeless
"Deborah W. Reed, education specialist and homeless education liaison for the school system, said the number of children living in hotels grows steadily during each school year as family circumstances change and the county gathers information. Reed said she expects that by the end of the school year, the number will be close to the 2011-12 total of 173. The year before that, it was 182."
The Daily News Leader, October 27, 2012: Poverty derails school progress
"Area students who have a disability or come from low income households have a greater chance of not getting a diploma in four years. The state Department of Education breaks up on-time graduation numbers by subgroups including male, female, white, black, Asian, multi-racial, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, homeless and limited English speaking."
The Washington Post, August 24, 2012: (Op-Ed) Virginia's together and unequal' school standards
"Virginia's new policy is anything but subtle. For example, under the new rules, schools are expected to have 78 percent of white students and 89 percent of Asian students passing Virginia's Standards of Learning math tests but just 57 percent of black students, 65 percent of Hispanic students and 59 percent of low-income students."
The Virginian-Pilot, July 29, 2012: Grant partners say Norfolk schools hard to work with
"In 2009, Norfolk Public Schools partnered with Old Dominion University and three area nonprofits to improve the early reading ability of preschool children and the literacy-instruction skills of their teachers. The project received a three-year, $4.5 million federal grant targeted to children from low-income, homeless or high-mobility military families. The grant was meant to be collaborative, with the division providing project management."
The Virginian-Pilot, June 29, 2012: Virginia still hoping for partial No Child Left Behind waiver
"Under No Child Left Behind, schools are given a failing grade if even one group of students - those with disabilities or low-income students, for example - doesn't meet testing targets that escalate each year. The law requires 100 percent proficiency in math and English by 2014, a provision Board of Education President David Foster called "illogical and nonsensical.""
Daily Town Talk, June 10, 2012: Alexandria families turn out to learn about school vouchers
"Sampson was part of a group of people who attended an informational meeting Monday about the state's Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program at the Wilborn-Dempsey Multipurpose Resource Center in Alexandria. It was one of a series of meetings hosted by the Black Alliance for Educational Options to educate parents in low-income families about the program."