Issue Position: Investing In Education

Issue Position

Virginia, and especially Henrico, values strong public education. Investing in our education starts with investing in our teachers. We have started to address teacher pay by raising salaries 5%, but meeting the national average should be the bare minimum. Additionally, we must hire support staff, from nutrition workers to bus drivers, so that teachers can focus on teaching and students can focus on learning with the proper institutional support.

State support for public schools systems is about 10% less per student now than they were pre-Recession, leaving localities holding the bag, and our standardized testing system is a burden on schools, students and parents. At the higher education level, our state is the 7th most expensive in the nation and that costs is growing at the 7th fastest rate in the nation - we need access to all forms of higher education from community college to apprenticeships to four year universities and beyond to be a realistic option for all Virginians who want it.

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