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_ 194 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 125. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 transferred to the general fund from the Public Education Standards of Quality/Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund and appropriated in this Item which are distributed to localities on the basis of the latest yearly estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service as specified in this Item shall be reflected in each locality's annual budget for educational purposes as a separate revenue source for the current fiscal year. h. The appropriation for the Standards of Quality for Public Education (SOQ) includes amounts estimated at $571,700,000$586,000,000 the first year and $595,100,000$608,900,000 the second year from the amounts transferred to the general fund from the Public Education Standards of Quality/Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund pursuant to Part 3 of this act which are derived from the 0.375 cent increase in the state sales and use tax levied pursuant to § 58.1-638, Code of Virginia. These additional funds are provided to local school divisions and local governments in order to relieve the financial pressure education programs place on local real estate taxes. i. From the total amounts in paragraph h. above, an amount estimated at $381,200,000$390,600,000 the first year and $396,700,000$405,900,000 the second year (approximately 1/4 cent of sales and use tax) is appropriated to support a portion of the cost of the state's share of the following revisions to the Standards of Quality pursuant to Chapters 939 & 955 of the Acts of Assembly of 2004: five elementary resource teachers per 1,000 students; one support and one instructional technology position per 1,000 students; a full daily planning period for teachers at the middle and high school levels in order to relieve the pressure on local real estate taxes and shall be taken into account by the governing body of the county, city, or town in setting real estate tax rates. j. From the total amounts in paragraph h. above, an amount estimated at $190,600,000$195,300,000 the first year and $198,400,000$203,000,000 the second year (approximately 1/8 cent of sales and use tax) is appropriated in this Item to distribute the remainder of the revenues collected and deposited into the Public Education Standards of Quality/Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund on the basis of the latest yearly estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service as specified in this Item. k. For the purposes of funding certain support positions in Basic Aid, a funding ratio methodology is used based upon 24 support positions per 1,000 ADM to funded SOQ instructional positions in the first year and 27.89 support positions per 1,000 ADM to funded SOQ instrucitonal positions in the second year. Such methodology shall not apply to the following SOQ support positions: division superintendent, school board members, pupil transportation positions, or specialized student support positions established in Chapter 454, 2021 Acts of Assembly, Special Session I. 6. Education of the Gifted Payments a. An additional payment shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to local school divisions to support the state share of one full-time equivalent instructional position per 1,000 students in adjusted March 31 ADM. b. Local school divisions are required to spend, as part of the required local expenditure for the Standards of Quality the established per pupil cost for gifted education (state and local share) on approved programs for the gifted. 7. Occupational-Vocational Education Payments a. An additional payment shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to the local school divisions to support the state share of the number of Vocational Education instructors required by the Standards of Quality. These funds shall be disbursed on the same basis as the payment is calculated. b. An amount estimated at $173,439,108 the first year and $174,563,383 the second year from the general fund included in Basic Aid Payments relates to vocational education programs in support of the Standards of Quality. 8. Special Education Payments