Warner wonders why Youngkin doesn’t want to invest Virginia surplus in K-12 schools

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who harbors the illusion that he is a contender in the 2024 Republican presidential race, wants to use the state’s artificial $5 billion-plus surplus to buy votes in the form of tax breaks to corporations and the already well-off.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, a former Virginia governor, wonders why Youngkin isn’t pushing to put some of that money into the state’s declining K-12 education system.

“There was a recent JLARC study that showed that, unfortunately, Virginia, with its Standards of Quality model, is underfunding public education, compared to a whole host of other states around the country,” Warner told reporters on a conference call on Thursday, citing a recent legislative study showing that the state’s funding formula stiffs our schools around $1,900 per student per year.

“I remember when I was governor, Virginia was ranked the best state in the country for public education from preschool all the way through graduate school because we invested in education,” said Warner, taking a jab at Youngkin, who is pushing permanent tax breaks for corporations and well-off individuals with a surplus that is largely the result of one-time money that came from the federal government from COVID-19 relief.

Warner offered a competing idea: “I can’t think of a better use than bonuses for teachers to stay in teaching.”

“We lose about 40 percent of our teachers in their first five years as they move to other professions, but also as we compete against teachers from around the country. Using some of those funds for a one-time signing bonus would make a lot of sense,” Warner said.

Warner, for the record, isn’t running for president. He tried that, briefly, back in 2006, ahead of the 2008 cycle, before deciding instead on a run for the U.S. Senate.

His next re-election wouldn’t come until the 2026 cycle.

Youngkin, who will not be a serious player in the 2024 GOP presidential race, could be Warner’s Senate opponent looking three years out.

Warner’s last statement on the surplus issue from his Thursday presser could be an early jab at a future political rival.

“You know, folks are always willing to say we want to invest in education. Well, we’ve got huge surpluses. If we don’t invest now, when will we?” Warner said.