Public education gets boost as General Assembly adjourns

RICHMOND — Following years of draconian cuts to Virginia’s budget, Northern Virginia public schools and colleges stand to get a boost under the new two-year, $80 billion funding package unanimously approved by legislators as they gaveled closed the 2011 regular session of the General Assembly Sunday. All Northern Virginia school districts will see a net increase in state aid for K-12 education as compared to the budget proposals made by Gov. Bob McDonnell, with amounts ranging from the hundreds of thousands for Arlington and Alexandria to $4.1 million for Fairfax County, $2.3 million for Loudoun County, $4.1 million for Prince William County.