Charlottesville Democrats don’t know much about Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ education platform, but what they do know about the Republican nominee for governor’s priorities they don’t like.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger announced her plan for Virginia’s K-12 education on Aug. 8. And while light on specifics, the former U.S. representative called for an increase in school funding, a modernizing of the state’s standardized tests and a incentives and initiatives to address the teacher shortage.
Earle-Sears has not formally announced a plan. The only information available on her campaign website is a single statement: “As governor, Winsome will empower parents to choose the best school for their children so every child gets a quality education. She will prioritize parents’ rights and basic reading and math skills over ideological grandstanding.” Moreover, her campaign has not responded to inquiries from the press, including The Daily Progress.
Five days after Spanberger’s announcement, Charlottesville’s Democratic elected officials hosted a press conference in front of City Hall to bash the GOP nominee.
State Sen. Creigh Deeds said if Virginians want to know about Earle-Sears’ education priorities they need only look to her boss. Deeds said that for nearly four years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been more focused on a White House bid than improving Virginia schools — ironically, the hot-button issue that many to which many credit his 2021 victory at the polls.
“We’ve had a Republican governor that’s been running for president the whole time; his focus has not been on the commonwealth of Virginia or its people. I’m excited about the possibility that Abigail Spanberger brings because she is a leader,” Deeds said. “I’m confident that if we get her elected, we’re going to make real change over the next four years.”
Youngkin made much of Virginia students’ declining performance in the classroom when he was running for office four years ago.
Back in 2022, the year he took office, Virginia reported steep declines in both math and reading scores, prompting the governor to direct state education officials to raise the state’s testing standards and overhaul its school accreditation system.
Despite those efforts, testing through the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called “the Nation’s Report Card,” shows Virginia students made no significant improvements between 2022 and 2024.
Charlottesville Democrats say Virginians cannot expect much better from Youngkin’s second-in-command should she succeed him.
“We should be investing in education, making it easier for students to succeed, not harder,” Del. Katrina Callsen said at the Aug. 13 press conference. “And Virginia deserves the leader that understands that; Winsome Earle-Sears is not that leader.”
“Her platform is based on rhetoric, not substance,” she added. “What I see is chaos: hacking away at funding without a plan means removing funding for programs like Head Start, reducing services and supports for students with disabilities.”
Head Start is a federal education program for children under 5 which provides services aimed at promoting academic, social and emotional development for low-income families. Republicans in Washington have been weighing drastic cuts to the program.
Deeds said cuts, even threatened cuts, will make next year’s legislative session in Richmond “tough.”
“The next General Assembly is going to be tough. We’ve had a number of years of surplus, this year we’re going to have to look at the federal fallout,” he said. “And that’s going to cost us some money.”
Callsen said that work would be made easier with a governor in the Executive Mansion who actually has a plan, someone that is about “policy, evidence-based solutions that are going to help our children succeed.”
Election Days is Nov. 4. Virginians will be voting for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general this year. In addition, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election. Early voting begins Sept. 10.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
Be First to Comment