---
type: "Bill"
title: "School counselors; minimum staffing ratio, effective clause."
description: "Minimum staffing ratio for school counselors. Requires local school boards to employ school counselors in accordance with the following ratios, effective with the 2020-2021 school year: in elementary schools, one hour per day per 75 students, one full-time equivalent at 375 students, one hour per day additional time per 75 students or major fraction thereof; in middle schools, one period per 65 students, one full-time equivalent at 325 students, one additional period per 65 students or major fraction thereof; and in high schools, one period per 60 students, one full-time equivalent at 300 students, one additional period per 60 students or major fraction thereof. The bill also requires local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent school counselor position per 325 students in grades kindergarten through 12, effective with the 2021-2022 school year. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 880"
citation: "Virginia SB 880 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mamie E. Locke"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 53
vote_count: 14
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ed649086-3f21-45a1-bb3b-5a73505e6ef9"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB880"
source_hash: "fdb18a0db21ab3472bfa871d37ea036341a37500e3c21b9989b0a0e12845d1cb"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 880 (2020) — School counselors; minimum staffing ratio, effective clause.

Minimum staffing ratio for school counselors. Requires local school boards to employ school counselors in accordance with the following ratios, effective with the 2020-2021 school year: in elementary schools, one hour per day per 75 students, one full-time equivalent at 375 students, one hour per day additional time per 75 students or major fraction thereof; in middle schools, one period per 65 students, one full-time equivalent at 325 students, one additional period per 65 students or major fraction thereof; and in high schools, one period per 60 students, one full-time equivalent at 300 students, one additional period per 60 students or major fraction thereof. The bill also requires local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent school counselor position per 325 students in grades kindergarten through 12, effective with the 2021-2022 school year. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0952)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0952)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB880ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB880ER)
3. **Engrossed by Senate as amended SB880E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB880E)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (SB880)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB880)
5. **Impact statement from DPB (SB880H1)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB880H1)

## Votes

- Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Education and Health (11-Y 2-N) — **11–2** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (80-Y 17-N) — **79–17** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Appropriations with substitute (18-Y 4-N) — **18–4** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- House substitute rejected by Senate (7-Y 31-N) — **7–31** (fail) · upper
- VOTE: Adoption (81-Y 14-N) — **80–14** (pass) · lower
- Continued to 2021 in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendment (16-Y 0-N) — **16–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Education with amendment (21-Y 1-N) — **21–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Mamie E. Locke — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102837D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-20** Assigned Education sub: Public Education `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-23** Impact statement from DPB (SB880)
- **2020-01-30** Reported from Education and Health (11-Y 2-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-30** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-06** Continued to 2021 in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-10** Reconsidered by Finance and Appropriations
- **2020-02-10** Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendment (16-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-11** Reading of amendment waived
- **2020-02-11** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-02-11** Engrossed by Senate as amended SB880E
- **2020-02-11** Printed as engrossed 20102837D-E
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-14** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-14** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-14** Referred to Committee on Education `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Reported from Education with amendment (21-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-17** Referred to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-19** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-02-19** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-21** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-02-21** Reported from Appropriations with substitute (18-Y 4-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-21** Committee substitute printed 20108566D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-24** Impact statement from DPB (SB880H1)
- **2020-02-25** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-26** VOTE: Passage (80-Y 17-N)
- **2020-02-26** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** Committee on Education aamendment rejected
- **2020-02-26** Committee on Appropriations substitute agreed to 20108566D-H1
- **2020-02-26** Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB880H1
- **2020-02-26** Passed House with substitute (80-Y 17-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** House substitute rejected by Senate (7-Y 31-N)
- **2020-03-02** House insisted on substitute
- **2020-03-02** House requested conference committee
- **2020-03-03** Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-03** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2020-03-05** Conferees appointed by House
- **2020-03-05** Amended by conference committee
- **2020-03-07** Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-08** Conference report agreed to by House (81-Y 14-N)
- **2020-03-08** VOTE: Adoption (81-Y 14-N)
- **2020-03-18** Enrolled
- **2020-03-18** Signed by President
- **2020-03-19** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-20** Impact statement from DPB (SB880ER)
- **2020-03-20** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 20, 2020
- **2020-03-20** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-09** Approved by Governor-Chapter 952 (effective - see bill) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ed649086-3f21-45a1-bb3b-5a73505e6ef9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).