Small, rural school divisions across Virginia continue to face declining student enrollments, difficulty competing for high-quality teachers, inadequate facility and capital projects funding and pressure from unfunded mandates at both state and federal levels, placing them at a significant financial disadvantage with larger and more affluent school divisions.

Areas of Focus

Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Enrollment Loss
School Construction Funding
Increasing At-Risk Add-ons
Creating a Fair and Equitable Funding Formula (see infographic below)
Adding an Economies of Scale Adjustment to the State Budget as Recommended by JLARC (see infographic below)

Building More Than Schools:

A Blueprint for Referendum Success

The Coalition of Small and Rural Schools (COSARS) hosted a referendum preparation webinar on August 12, 2026, designed to help school divisions, School Board members, local government officials, and other community leaders navigate the referendum process.

Local school divisions may use a referendum to seek voter approval for major capital projects and long-term investments in school facilities. Depending on the needs of each community, these projects may include the construction of new schools, major renovations or additions, facility improvements, and other significant capital investments that cannot be addressed through a division’s regular operating budget.

With nearly 20 COSARS member divisions expected to have referendums on their local ballots in November 2026, the webinar focused on the many considerations involved in preparing for and communicating about a local referendum. The resources are also intended to support member divisions that may be considering a referendum in future years.

The webinar featured presentations from education, legal, communications, and local government professionals and provided an overview of key considerations for divisions preparing for a referendum, including:

Laying the Groundwork: The Road to November

*Keith Perrigan, COSARS and Washington County Public Schools

*Important Timelines

*Laws, Committees, Communications, and Procurement

Building Within the Code: Election Laws and Compliance

*State Code Regarding Political Activity of Elected Officials - Chuck Slemp, Cozen O’Connor

*School Board Policy Regarding Employee Political Activity - Mandi Smith, Timberlake Smith

Including Sub-Contractors: Developing a Local Referendum Committee

*Robbie Mason, Charlotte County and Steven Mayhew, Pittsylvania County

Following the Blueprint: Crafting a Clear, Credible Message and Partnering with the Donovan Group

*Lori Mueller, The Donovan Group

Breaking Ground: Procurement Options Before and After the Referendum

*Angela Hairston, Danville City

The webinar also introduced resources and consultation services available to COSARS member divisions to support referendum preparation and communication efforts.

Webinar Recording: Access the full recording of the August 12 – Video Passcode: vR8xRje+

Additional Resources

Summary of Laws and Policies Referendum Committees
COMET YouTube Tutorials: Virginia Department of Elections Campaign Finance Tutorials - YouTube
Virginia Law: The Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002
Cardinal News Article: Virginia communities race to get 1% sales tax for school construction on the ballot

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Appalachian Comprehensive Center Funding Infographic Long Version.pdf

Economies of Scale Infographic.pdf

Previous Work

All In Tutoring Conference

We are so excited to release registration information for COSARS' Summit on High Intensity Tutoring presented by ZEARN. We are thankful for Virginia Ed Strategies, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, and all the sponsors you see at the bottom of this email for making this conference come together so quickly. Although the focus of the Summit will be High Intensity Tutoring, we will also have breakout sessions related to all aspects of ALL In Virginia; chronic absenteeism, the Virginia Literacy Act and High Intensity Tutoring. Central Office Instructional Leaders and Building Level Instructional Leaders will benefit from this jam packed day of learning!

Please remember that you can use funds from the Flexible Funding category that was just approved in the State Budget to pay for registration. Registration is $150 per person or you can register a team of 10 for $750. The Summit will offer practical suggestions from schools that have already implemented High Intensity Tutoring, as well as the leading national expert on the topic, an overview of Virginia's playbook, a presentation from Zearn who won the State RFP for Math Tutoring support, a robust panel discussion about the challenges of this model and how to overcome those challenges. At 2:00, we will put an exclamation point on our day with breakout sessions that will allow you to interact with your colleagues and a moderator to discuss individual topics that are pertinent to you. Be sure to have your team divide and conquer during the breakout sessions to ensure the most bang for your buck!

You will see the schedule listed on the registration form. We tried to squeeze everything in from 9:00-3:00 so building leaders could start and end their day without missing this opportunity. Be sure to pack a lunch or order something in for your team because we will not take an official break for lunch.

Conference Resources Page- Click Here!

Proposed Coalition of Small and Rural Schools Legislative Priorities for 2026

Continue to protect the At-Risk Add On, Special Education Add On and fund more items with this methodology.
Continue to fund the School Construction Program
Improve resources and financial support to ensure students have access to adequate mental/behavioral health services.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
- make pay competitive with border States

Previous Conferences

Videos from Summit

School Construction and Modernization Legislative Panel - Senator McClellan, Senator Dunnavant, Delegate O'Quinn, and Delegate Hurst Moderated by Carol Cash

Implementing Infrastructure Improvements with Budget Constraints - Cheryl Midkiff

Impact of School Design on Student Learning - Pete Gretz and Stephan Halsey

State Superintendent's Report - James Lane

How Crumbling School Facilities Perpetuate Inequity - Mary Filardo

Flexible Financing and Federal Funding - Chad Stewart and D.R. Dugan

Impact on New School Facility on Rural Communities Panel Discussion - Haydee Robinson, Dashan Turner, Paul Nichols, and Kevin Siers Moderated by Kristy Midgette

Previous Advocacy

Virginia’s Moonshot Moment to Modernize Schools

Lawmakers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to modernize our school infrastructure with one-time discretionary funding from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund. Read the fact sheet below to find out more.

School Infrastructure and Federal Funding Facts

Resolution to Support an Increase in State Funding for Small and Rural School Divisions

COSARS Legislative Priorities & Talking Points- 2020

Please visit our Articles page to learn more about topics related to our mission.