Richmond, Virginia—The Trump administration’s decision Tuesday to freeze international student visa interviews will have significant rebounding costs for Virginia’s colleges and universities, the Virginia Mercury reports. In April, the Trump administration abruptly cancelled hundreds of existing visas, then just as abruptly, restored them after the cancellations were challenged in court. This week, the administration froze all interviews for […]

Richmond, Virginia— Virginia has one of the most educated populations in the US: we are ranked seventh in the nation in the percentage of people (59.3%) who hold a postsecondary degree. We also lead the nation in student loan debt: 55% of Virginia college graduates hold student loan debt, making us fifth in the nation for student debt, […]

Richmond, Virginia— Since 2005, two rural hospitals serving primarily Medicaid and Medicare patients in Lee and Patrick counties have closed due to financial difficulty. A new study suggests that if the cuts to Medicaid in the budget reconciliation bill recently passed by the House go through, eight more rural hospitals (about 26% of rural hospitals) are at immediate risk […]

Richmond, Virginia—May 30th marks the anniversary of Virginia’s 2019 expansion of Medicaid, which allowed a broader group of low-wage adults access to health insurance. Currently, single adults earning 138% of the federal poverty level (or $21,597 for a single adult) are now able to use Medicaid to see a doctor when they get sick and are […]

Richmond, Virginia—Sunday will mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer.  In the wake of the killing and subsequent killings of Black civilians by armed officers, Virginia joined many other states in building out laws to strengthen police accountability, reform the criminal justice system, and create structures to protect people […]

Richmond, Virginia—In a move that highlights the chasm between Virginia Republicans’ rhetoric and their legislative platform, Governor Glenn Youngkin has chosen the week of Mothers’ Day to veto a bill seeking to enshrine the right of Virginians to access contraception. Youngkin, who campaigned as a champion of families and an advocate for parents’ rights, has […]

Richmond, Virginia—Teacher, staff, and principal appreciation week is kicking off in schools across the country, as schools and PTAs acknowledge the huge contribution of the often-underpaid and overworked professionals who serve our communities’ children. It is worth thinking critically about the policy choices we make to support principals, teachers and staff, particularly those who serve […]

Richmond, Virginia—Superintendent Peter Gretz of the Fluvanna County Schools, a rural school district in a red-shaded purple county, has written an op-ed for the Virginia Mercury encouraging rural school districts to adopt Fluvanna’s practice of siting solar arrays on the top of their school buildings. In his op-ed, Gretz cited a variety of benefits that have come […]