I grew up going to Virginia public schools, from Indian Lakes Elementary, Brandon Junior High (now Brandon Middle School), and Green Run High School in Virginia Beach all the way to Old Dominion University in Norfolk. My two children are in the Virginia Beach public schools right now. I know first hand how hard our educators are working, how few resources they have, and how important it is to support our public schools.
If you have ever purchased a home, you know that one of the first things a realtor will tell you is to look at the public schools when deciding which neighborhoods to consider. Studies have shown that property values increase by $2 for every $1 invested in public schools.
Businesses want to hire employees that have already been trained on skills like reading, arithmetic, critical thinking, and dealing with other people from a wide range of backgrounds. Public education is the best and most cost effective way to achieve these goals.
Virginia schools are struggling right now. Our teachers pay ranks 28th even though we have the 9th strongest economy in the country. On top of that they are expected to spend their own limited pay on classroom supplies. Then they spend their nights and weekends planning lessons and grading assignments because their office hours are consumed by paperwork designed to comply with a tangled web of state and federal regulations.
Republicans in Richmond and Washington want to make it even worse. As evidenced by their support of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, they want to take your tax dollars to subsidize private schools that aren’t held to the same standards and cater to families that frankly don’t need the discount. My mantra in this campaign is clear: “Keep public money in public schools.”
With your help I can become the advocate that Virginia teachers can depend on. I will be a stone wall against all attempts to take any public money out of public schools. When the GOP tries to lower your property values because they want a tax refund for the wealthy, I will always stand beside you in opposition.
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