Virginia Party at CBC Week in a Few Photos; Virginia’s Teacher Vacancy Rates; Virginia and Scholarships to Descendants of Slaves

🚩 CBC Week is now in Washington DC
🚩 1 day until The Battle of the Bay between Norfolk State University and Hampton University on Sept. 14
🚩 7 days until early voting in Virginia: Sept. 20
🚩 53 days until Election Day Nov. 5

This newsletter covers the Black community in Virginia. We are thankful for the support of our subscribers! Please consider supporting an independent news source and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.

Rep. Bobby Scott’s Panel Today at CBC Week in DC

🚩 Subject: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) at 50 Years. TODAY - Friday, September 13, 2024. 🚩 Time: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location: Washington, DC Convention Center in 🚩 Room 143C

🚩 Session info: This panel will examine the impact of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), on juvenile crime in America on the occasion of the law’s 50th anniversary. Since 1974, the JJDPA has provided a floor of required protections for juveniles held in custody in state juvenile justice systems. The act has also authorized resources and guidance to improve those systems, as well as grant funding to address juvenile delinquency through community programming. Panelists will talk about the unique nature of juvenile offenses, how JJPDA has shaped juvenile crime policy in America over the decades, and what the future of juvenile policy could be under JJDPA with proper attention and investment.

CBC WEEK: Virginia Party at Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference

Above: Dumfries, Virginia Mayor Derrick Wood, State Senator Lashrecse Aird and Virginia’s historic Speaker of the House of Delegates, Don Scott, at the Virginia Party last night in Washington, D.C. This week is the 53rd Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference.

Above: The hosts of the Virginia Party, Congressman Bobby Scott and Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan take a few photos with Sen. Tim Kaine’s campaign manager Keren Dongo.

Above: Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan completes an interview with the Black Information Network, one of many Black media companies inside the exhibit hall at the Washington Convention Center for CBCF ALC 53.

Below: Virginia State University Professor and Dept. of Political Science Chair, Dr. Wes Bellamy, is seen at CBCF ALC 53 after a panel and greeting Rep. Scott.

Above: Rep. Scott is greeted after leaving a meeting of State elected officials.
…….

All events and panels at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation take place at the Washington Convention Center in the District of Columbia.

Improvement in Virginia’s Teacher Vacancy Rate

Nathaniel Cline for the Virginia Mercury: Statewide, the teacher vacancy rate was down to 3.4% at the start of the school year after hovering at 4.7% in July, according to data provided by the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Licensure during an advisory meeting on Monday. 

Virginia’s teacher vacancy rate was 3.9% last October. The agency’s annual vacancy report, which provides a breakdown of school division vacancies, will be published next month, along with the vacancy rate for bus drivers.

Of the 131 school divisions in Virginia, 30 have a 0-1% vacancy rate, and 64 have a vacancy rate under 2%.  

The focus on the teacher shortage in Virginia’s K-12 schools sharpened in recent years, after studies found that teachers were  leaving public schools because of several factors including dissatisfaction with wages, challenges after the pandemic, and political battles over education. READ ENTIRE

Chronicle of Higher Ed: Virginia Wants to Give Scholarships to Descendants of Slaves. It’s Harder Than It Looks.

Chronicle of Higher Education: College administrators are struggling to figure out how to comply with a little-known reparations effort passed by Virginia’s legislature in 2021 that requires, among other things, that they provide scholarships to descendants of slaves.

➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽‍💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com.