New, Safe & Small Reactors are Under Design Most of us have heard the recent news that Virginia is one of the best places to do business in the United States. But unless policymakers make a concerted effort to address the Commonwealth’s high energy needs in the next decade our...
Defined benefit (DB) plans now are part of the fiscal debate in many states and localities, and Virginia is no exception. Virginia has been a leader in responsible and innovative pension plan management. Yet, the retirement plan places a financial burden on the Commonwealth. After the 2010 valuation, VRS’s funding...
I am typically not a big fan of federal government policies, but when they are more pro-business than the State of Virginia’s policies one has to ask, “Why?” I am referring to the Virginia Department of Corrections where currently there is a mandate that the state prison industries provide office...
Much has been made of the rising number of Virginia schools failing to meet the federal standards of “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP). But is AYP a good measure of academic excellence? The history of standards-based accountability — and the fashion in which AYP is constructed — suggests not.
... Study after study have repeatedly demonstrated that the most important feature in improving student performance is the quality of the teacher. So how did Virginia’s local school boards when they were asked to agree to design evaluation systems that took into account student growth as a significant factor, conduct annual...
Should Fairfax County be subsidizing “affordable housing” that includes resort-style swimming pools, exercise facilities, billiards rooms and condo fees of up to $6,800 per year? Yet, that’s exactly what happens in at least three “affordable housing” developments. We believe there is a better way …
... In the 21st Century, learning need not be limited to classes held in a bricks and mortar building. Today, more than a million students take online courses through their school divisions — a 47 percent increase since 2006. Of those, 175,000 are full-time students in full-time online schools. This brochure...
The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) faces an unfunded actuarial accrued liability of about $17 billion, and many view the cost of defined benefit retirement systems like VRS as unsustainable in future years. This new study explores ways to reduce costs — including a hybrid plan combining both a defined benefit...
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) seems to think the people of the region and their elected officials have either short or poor memories. MWAA’s attempt to shift the $300 million cost of an underground rail station at Washington Dulles International Airport to Fairfax and Loudoun Counties is a classic...
