---
type: "Bill"
title: "School counselors; minimum staffing ratio."
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. This bill incorporates HB 398."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 1508"
citation: "Virginia HB 1508 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Delores L. McQuinn"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 44
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e03f479d-dde9-464f-96fe-12612b321c72"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB1508"
source_hash: "44b42d6830b49ae9d850a56cd48b3b8e0bda66880c1e0bff6f251754ddb46d83"
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 HB 1508 (2020) — School counselors; minimum staffing ratio.

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. This bill incorporates HB 398.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0953)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0953)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1508ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1508ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendment HB1508EH1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1508EH1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB1508)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1508)
5. **Impact statement from DPB (HB1508H1)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1508H1)

## Votes

- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (83-Y 16-N) — **82–16** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) — **8–0** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment (7-Y 0-N) — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Appropriations with amendment (18-Y 3-N) — **18–3** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 0-N) — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Committee amendment reconsidered (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Education with substitute (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Education and Health with amendment (13-Y 1-N) — **13–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Delores L. McQuinn — primary (person)
- Betsy B. Carr — cosponsor (person)
- Clinton L. Jenkins — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth R. Guzman — cosponsor (person)
- Ibraheem S. Samirah — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer L. McClellan — cosponsor (person)
- Karrie K. Delaney — cosponsor (person)
- Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)
- Martha M. Mugler — cosponsor (person)
- Nancy D. Guy — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
- Rodney T. Willett — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
- Shelly A. Simonds — cosponsor (person)
- Suhas Subramanyam — cosponsor (person)
- Wendy W. Gooditis — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-08** Presented and ordered printed 20102840D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Education `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-14** Impact statement from DPB (HB1508)
- **2020-01-15** Assigned Education sub: SOL and SOQ `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-27** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-27** Subcommittee recommends referring to Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-01-29** Committee substitute printed 20106811D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-01-29** Incorporates HB398 (Keam)
- **2020-01-29** Reported from Education with substitute (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-29** Referred to Committee on Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-30** Assigned App. sub: Elementary & Secondary Education `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-03** Impact statement from DPB (HB1508H1)
- **2020-02-05** House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-02-05** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment (7-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-05** Reported from Appropriations with amendment (18-Y 3-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-07** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-07** Committee on Education substitute agreed to 20106811D-H1
- **2020-02-07** Committee on Appropriations amendment agreed to
- **2020-02-07** Engrossed by House - committee substitute with amendment HB1508EH1
- **2020-02-07** Printed as engrossed 20106811D-EH1
- **2020-02-10** Read third time and passed House (83-Y 16-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-10** VOTE: Passage (83-Y 16-N)
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-11** Referred to Committee on Education and Health `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-24** Impact statement from DPB (HB1508EH1)
- **2020-02-27** Reported from Education and Health with amendment (13-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-27** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-02** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-03-04** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-05** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-05** Reading of amendment waived
- **2020-03-05** Committee amendment agreed to
- **2020-03-05** Passed by temporarily
- **2020-03-05** Committee amendment reconsidered (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-05** Committee amendment rejected
- **2020-03-05** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled
- **2020-03-12** Impact statement from DPB (HB1508ER)
- **2020-03-12** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-12** Signed by President
- **2020-03-17** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 17, 2020
- **2020-03-17** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-09** Approved by Governor-Chapter 953 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e03f479d-dde9-464f-96fe-12612b321c72`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).