Virginia K-12 schools rank 51st in the nation in math recovery post-COVID, because Glenn Youngkin is more focused on where kids go to the bathroom and DEI than he is on kids learning anything.
Fifty-first, incidentally, means we’re not only behind the other 50 states, but also DC.
The bottom of the barrel.
Good work, MAGA.
“As Virginia’s next governor, I will be focused on making sure Virginia is leading the way on academic excellence nationwide. I will support Virginia’s educators who go above and beyond to support our children. I will put Virginia students first,” said Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic Party nominee for governor, rolling out her “Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan” on Friday.
Spanberger is a product of Virginia public schools – she’s an alum of J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico County and the University of Virginia, and she and her husband, Adam, a graduate of Mills Godwin High School in Henrico County and UVA, have three daughters in public schools.
“The strength of Virginia’s schools is personal for me, just as it is to parents across the Commonwealth,” said Spanberger, who served three terms in Congress, before stepping down earlier this year to run for governor.
“As their children grow, parents deserve to know their child is receiving an outstanding education in our Commonwealth. Virginia’s students deserve to learn in safe classrooms with educators who prepare them for success in their next steps – whether that’s in a career, an apprenticeship program, the military, or college,” Spanberger said.
Spanberger’s “Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan” focuses at the top on taking steps to address the state’s K-12 teacher shortage – statewide, 3,207 positions were unfilled in the 2024-2025 school year, 3.4 percent of the total number of teacher positions budgeted, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
The Spanberger plan also includes money for repairs and modernization to schools in urban and rural districts where funding pressures from local governments have put school infrastructure on the backburner.
A key proposal involves rejecting efforts to divert funding from public education to pay for voucher programs, a favorite of the MAGA far right, which wants to use your tax money to help wealthy parents pay for their kids’ private-school tuitions.
The plan proposes, in the higher-education realm, improving financial-aid options for students, to reduce the pressure to rely on loans that lead to decades of crippling debt, increasing support for Virginia’s HBCUs, increasing support for the community-college system, and getting the MAGAs installed by Youngkin on boards of visitors as far away from campuses as is humanly possible.
Spanberger was joined at the rollout event at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth by the State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic Party nominee for lieutenant governor, former State Del. Jay Jones, the party nominee for attorney general, and State Sen. Louise Lucas, an I.C. Norcom alum, who brought fire to the dais.
“I don’t just talk about priorities, I fund them. Because if we’re serious about preparing our kids for the future, we need to invest in K-12 classrooms and career training programs that actually get them there. And I’m ready for a partner in the governor’s office that will partner with us on this mission,” Lucas said.
“With Abigail Spanberger as governor, we will have a governor who puts Virginia families and students first. If we want stronger schools, she is what the community needs, and she is what our Commonwealth needs as well,” Lucas said.
Support AFP
Share
Chris Graham
