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Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has vowed to overtake the state’s training system. The plan goals to strengthen Virginia’s Okay-12 faculties because the state faces a instructor scarcity and low rankings on its post-COVID instructional restoration.
Along with addressing the instructor scarcity by means of recruitment and help plans, Spanberger goals to make sure tutorial rigor whereas “modernizing crumbling faculties.” Moreover, she’s seeking to reject efforts to take funding from public faculties and diverting it to voucher packages.
“Virginia’s youngsters deserve robust faculties that put together them for fulfillment – no matter their ZIP code,” Spanberger is quoted as saying on the high of her plan.
Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is vowing to overtake the state’s Okay-12 training system whereas additionally bolstering increased training and youngster care. (iStock)
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The Schooling Restoration Scorecard discovered Virginia ranked forty first in studying restoration between 2019 and 2024, whereas it ranked 51st – behind all states and D.C. – in math restoration. Moreover, the state ranked forty sixth in math enchancment over the identical interval.
“The federal pandemic reduction {dollars} could also be gone, however the pandemic’s impression lingers in lots of Virginia faculties. Even with out federal reduction {dollars}, states could possibly be concentrating on persevering with federal Title I {dollars} and state {dollars} to implement interventions which have been proven efficient, similar to tutoring and summer season studying,” the group wrote in a press launch saying Virginia’s rankings.
Spanberger isn’t simply aiming to convey extra academics into the classroom, she’s additionally advocating for increased salaries for Virginia educators, which she believes will assist “preserve our greatest and brightest within the classroom.”
Schooling was a trademark problem of Virginia’s final gubernatorial race with now-Gov. Glenn Youngkin and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe debating mother and father’ involvement within the classroom. This got here as controversy erupted over heated faculty board conferences in Virgina’s Loudoun County. Many cited McAuliffe’s comment that oldsters shouldn’t inform faculties what to show as their cause for voting for Youngkin, who championed mother and father’ rights.
Abigail Spanberger speaks throughout an Everytown for Gun Security rally on April 10, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia.
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In March, Spanberger slammed Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who’s operating for Virginia governor as a Republican, after they proposed public faculty funding cuts. She known as the proposal “misguided” and expressed hope that “Democrats in our Common Meeting will take the required steps to guard these vital investments.”
Spanberger additionally appeared to take a swipe at Youngkin in a June interview with Dogwood, seeming to accuse the governor of taking part in politics with training.
“We’ve got to cease making an attempt to pit mother and father in opposition to academics or mother and father in opposition to educators for political causes,” Spanberger instructed Dogwood.
On her web site and in her training plan, Spanberger emphasizes her private curiosity in Virgina public training as her three daughters are all college students within the system.
“As a mother, I’m so grateful for the hardworking, devoted Virginians who ensure our kids have a secure, constructive, and productive faculty day. As Governor, I’ll ensure our educators get the help they should proceed offering a world-class training for our Commonwealth’s youngsters,” Spanberger wrote in a social media submit on Wednesday.
The Democratic gubernatorial hopeful’s plan additionally contains efforts to strengthen youngster care and better training in Virginia.
Statue of George Mason on the campus of George Mason College in Fairfax, Virginia. (Robert Knopes/UCG/Common Pictures Group by way of Getty Pictures)
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For increased training, Spanberger is seeking to each make it extra reasonably priced for college students whereas additionally investing in Virginia’s Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities (HBCUs). The state is house to a number of increased training establishments, together with Virginia Tech, College of Virginia and George Mason College, amongst others. Its HBCUs embrace Hampton College, Virginia State College and several other others.
In her plan, Spanberger additionally says she’s wanting to make sure that Virginia mother and father have entry to “high-quality youngster care of their space.” Nonetheless, this push is about greater than guaranteeing good youngster care, it’s additionally about enhancing the state’s employee retention by serving to ease the burden on working mother and father.
Fox Information Digital reached out to Sears’ marketing campaign however didn’t obtain a response in time for publication.
