A dedicated penny on the sales tax shifts the cost of building schools off the property tax and spreads it across everyone who shops in your locality — including visitors. That is why nine Virginia localities have already adopted it, and why every locality should have it on the table.
Voters approve a 1% local-option sales tax for a defined period. Revenue can be used only for new construction, additions, renovations, and school debt service. It is collected by the state and remitted back to the locality.
A sales tax allows school capital to be funded without further loading the real estate tax. In a typical division, the 1% can replace tens of millions in debt service that would otherwise be carried by homeowners.
Code authority requires a defined term — typically up to 20 years — and limits the proceeds to schools. Localities can structure additional reporting and a sunset that retires with the bonds.
Roughly a quarter to a third of local sales tax in Virginia is paid by non-residents — tourists, commuters, and pass-through shoppers. A 1% on a $100 purchase is $1 — a small price for permanent capital relief.
We track every Virginia locality that has signaled interest, advocacy, or active planning around a 1% school construction sales tax — plus the nine that previously had individual authority. Click a marker on the map for details.
Virginians for Modern Schools is open to school boards, councils, boards of supervisors, superintendents, civic organizations, and individual residents who support local authority to fund modern schools.
