NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia lawmaker heading a subcommittee on the state’s aging schools wants some of the sales tax collected from online purchases to go toward school construction.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Sunday that Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, has proposed changing how school construction needs are funded. Construction costs are currently fronted by localities.
A 2017 Supreme Court decision allows Virginia to collect sales tax from online purchases, which is expected to produce about $300 million per year. But that is slated to go toward transportation.
The subcommittee toured aging schools throughout Hampton Roads last week to survey conditions. Lawmakers were shown rooms with water stains and peeling plaster and learned one high school had a portion of its ceiling collapse. Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, says “it’s like this everywhere you go.”
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