Like past state leaders, Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin loves to talk about the importance of education and the need for a quality public school system.

Paying for it is something else.

If you thought the state was shortchanging public schools, you were right.

A new report from the reliable and nonpartisan investigative arm of the General Assembly, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, has found Virginia is falling short in providing critical financial support for school operations.

Relying on outdated and inaccurate data and formulas, Virginia low-balls its contributions – leaving it to Richmond and other local governments to make up the difference, JLARC found after an 18-month study.

According to the JLARC study, Virginia’s 132 school divisions receive less K-12 funding than the 50-state average, the regional average and three of the five bordering states.

Virginia does better than North Carolina and Tennessee, but you know something is not kosher when Kentucky and West Virginia are more supportive than the Old Dominion.

According to JLARC, Virginia would need to boost spending by about $1,900 per student to match the national average.

State spending on education has been going up. About 31% of the state’s general fund goes to education. Of that, $10.5 billion a year represents the state’s direct contribution to public education.

The problem, according to JLARC, is that the spending just has not kept pace with the real costs that local governments have to deal with.

Based on three Virginia-specific spending benchmark models, JLARC stated, local schools are estimated to need 6% to over 30% more in funding. On average, 81% of school divisions receive a contribution from the state that falls below those benchmarks.

According to JLARC, in the 2020-21 fiscal year, the state’s complex Standards of Quality formula, the state only needed to invest $10.7 billion to provide every Virginia child with a quality education. But the real cost was $17.3 billion, based on local school budgets.

As it stands now, state funding represents about 39% of the total cost of public education, with local contributions representing about 52% of the cost and federal contributions making up the remaining 9%.

The state would need to invest an additional $3 billion or so a year to match the contributions to match the national average.

JLARC has a host of recommendations small and large, including fixing the SOQ formula, which could take a few years.

One big idea JLARC offered was to have Virginia move from a staff-focused formula to a student-focused formula. That is the way most of the 50 states determine how much to invest.

Short-term, JLARC calls for spending an additional $1 billion to make the initial improvements and recommends changes that could cost $2.5 billion over the long term.

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney, who is eyeing a run for governor in 2025 after he leaves his city post at the end of next year, spoke out after the release of the report.

“Education is the great equalizer, which is why fully funding public education will build stronger students and a stronger Commonwealth. An investment in education is an investment in our future, which is why I have increased local funding to Richmond Public Schools by nearly 50 percent since I came into office.

“The Commonwealth has underfunded our public schools for decades, and our children bear the consequences of that inaction,” he continued. “To be the best state to live, work, and raise a family, Virginia must ensure our schools have the resources they need to provide our children with a world-class education — and that is simply not happening. With the added learning-loss crisis created by the pandemic, I am begging state leaders to work together to address this decades-long failure to fund the true cost of education.”

We agree. But that is easier said than done.

Gov. Youngkin has put his priority on cutting taxes, mostly for big businesses and wealthy people like himself.

Most Republicans in the legislature are supportive of his vision of how to use state tax revenue.

Most Democrats want to use a bigger portion of state revenue to better fund public schools and address needs in the state’s mental health system.

In November, the people will vote for representatives for the state House and Senate, who would decide whether to use tax dollars for bigger investments in public education or to provide tax cuts. Your vote could help determine how that issue is decided.