Congratulations!
There has already been plenty written about Tuesday’s elections here in the Commonwealth, and we have no doubt that plenty more will be written in the coming days and coming months.
We here at School Choice Virginia simply wish to extend our sincere congratulations to Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell, Lieutentant Governor Bill Bolling (on his re-election) and Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli, along with all the newly elected and returning members of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Mr. McDonnell has been a strong supporter of school choice and education reforms during his years serving in the legislature and as Virginia’s Attorney General- and we shared some about his campaign platform on education reform here on our blog. We look forward to working with the Governor-elect, the new administration, and the legislature to continue to promote education reforms that will give all children greater access to the educational options to help them succeed.
VOTE: Our Children Are Counting On Us
Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to have lunch with another leader in the school choice movement. As we discussed policy and reforms and all those “good ideas” we have to improve educational opportunities for our children, he stopped and asked a very poignant question.
“But what can I tell a parent they can do now- TODAY- to change their child’s education?”
It is a tough question to answer. As many of us who have worked on this issue for years (or decades) know, change sadly does not usually happen over night. Many of these reforms come slowly- and sometimes progress can seem to barely move at a crawl. Our coalition here at School Choice Virginia includes many individuals and organizations who have been on the front-lines of the education fight here in Virginia for many years. They have remained committed to fighting for our children, even when the odds seem stacked against them.
And while we have outlined a number of steps here on our website that parents can take to get involved, the first step comes tomorrow. On Tuesday, November 3rd, you can take the first step for meaningful education reforms for our children by getting out to the polls and voting.
Your vote matters. Your voice matters. Our children cannot vote- so they are counting on us to speak up for them. They are counting on us to be their voice.
If you aren’t sure where to go vote, you can find your polling location online.
We have shared some information about the education platforms of the two candidates for governor, but we also encourage you to learn about their positions. For Bob McDonnell’s positions on education visit here. For Creigh Deed’s positions on education visit here.
Please remember to VOTE on Tuesday, November 3rd. It is the first step we can all take to make sure our voices are heard for educational reforms that will give all our children access to educational opportunities to help them succeed. We need leadership in Richmond that will stand up for our children and fight for education reforms to give them ALL a brighter future.
Who speaks for our children?
“When the media talk about public schools, we always hear about teachers, salaries, tenure and classroom size- what I want to know is why don’t we hear more about the parents and the students? If policy is focused on students- wouldn’t they see better results?” (Steven Crowder, PJTV)
It seems jaw-droppingly obvious. When we talk about education- we should be focusing on kids, right? After all, the children are the ones attending school (hopefully) and the ones who are supposed to be receiving an education (again, hopefully).
But as Mr. Crowder states- far too often it seems, the real focus of the education debate gets lost in the political turf-war waged aggressively by an entrenched special-interest: the teachers’ unions. While trying to maintain the facade that they are the ones fighting “for” our children, they continue to pursue an agenda that adamantly resists any change that may actually prove beneficial for students- changes like greater parental choice in education.
I know that, perhaps, I am repeating myself here, but when are parents going to stand up and take back control?? We know that overwhelmingly parents support greater choices in education- as Mr. Crowder notes in the video, in DC that number is around 80%- so when are parents going to realize that the unions are not supporting the best interests of their children?
It is fair here, too, to place some of the blame on the politicians - as they continue to place the interests of unions over the interests of children. Not that it is any excuse - but when politicians are hearing from a very vocal group, even if it is, in reality, a very small minority- they can often be mislead into believing that they are are somehow doing the right thing. And so again, it comes back to parents to become advocates for their children and to let lawmakers know they will no longer sit idly by and allow unions to dominate the debate over the future of education.
What parents, and politicians, must remember, is that a union- even when comprised of teachers- is a special interest. Their mission is to protect the interests of their members. Period. The students and parents are NOT a member of the union- and therefore will never be the primary interest of the union.
As a parent, what can you do? Get involved! Call, email, visit your local legislator (or local House of Delegates candidate)- talk to them about education. (Don’t know your local legislators- find them here.) Ask them what they propose to improve education. Are they willing to talk about educational choices- or do they just talk about teacher salaries, tenure, classroom size and funding? Urge them to support school choice and charter school options for families. Remember, many of our own lawmakers are also parents, too- and education issues directly impact them as well. They need to hear from other parents- not just special interests- and they need to hear that parents are supporting education reforms that are focused on children first.
SIGN THE PETITION: Voice Your Support for School Choice Today!
In less than 50 days, Virginia voters will head to the polls to elect a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. In addition, all 100 seats of the House of Delegates are up for election.
We want the new Governor and the legislature to know that education reform matters to Virginia voters. They need to hear that education reform matters to you.
How can you make sure your voice is heard?
Join us today by signing our petition of support for school choice and education reform so that we can deliver a strong message that Virginia families demand change. We will be delivering your message to the newly-elected Governor and legislators so that they know Virginia voters want real education reforms now.
Thank you for supporting educational reforms for Virginia’s children!
You Decide ‘09: Outdated promises or real reform?
Arriving home on Saturday afternoon after running some errands, my hands were full of bags as I encountered a father and son at my door. Ah yes, campaign season is in full swing!
Since my hands were full, and I was eager to unload my groceries, I didn’t stop to talk to the pair- simply thanked them for their time, and they were back on their way.
After the fact, I wished I had stopped the father and son to talk- and more specifically, ask them what their candidate proposed to do to improve the son’s education- to improve education for all of Virginia’s kids. Now I know that these were just two volunteers out with their prepared campaign lit (trust me, I’ve been there plenty there plenty of times myself), but it would have been interesting to hear what their “talking points” on education would have been. More funding? More teacher pay? More money in the classroom? Accountability? Sure, those may be good sound bites, but do they really improve education?
Well the folks at the Washington Post Editorial Board must have been reading my mind (which believe me, is a scary and pretty surreal thing, since I can certainly count on one hand the times the Post and I agree on things…) But sure enough, there was the Post, calling both candidates for governor to task and challenging them to stand up for real education reforms.
Their editorial: Old School in Virginia: Instead of making outdated promises, the gubernatorial candidates should be promoting education reform.
The Post makes the argument that while candidates’ pledges to raise teacher salaries might make a good sound-bite, there is no evidence that it will do anything to actually improve education. While it might be a good move in appeasing the teacher’s unions, it doesn’t equal results. Real education reforms are needed to create real results.
The Post did have some praise for Mr. McDonnell for part of his platform on education.
There are some glimpses of that willingness in the gubernatorial campaigns. We admire Mr. McDonnell’s outspoken support for charter schools; Mr. Deeds has interesting ideas on how to encourage people to become teachers in Virginia. Both see the need for toughening standards. Each says that he supports the concept of performance pay, Mr. McDonnell more convincingly than Mr. Deeds. But neither has fully developed proposals that he is really pushing.
Will Bob McDonnell or Creigh Deeds heed this advice and start promoting substantive reforms? Will they break free from the old school and give Virginians some 21st century solutions?
This year’s other elections up in New Jersey are already seeing education playing a bigger role in the campaigns. Also on Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that “Schools fuel the NJ race for Governor.” The headline should have probably said “education” instead of “schools,” but that aside, it is clear that all 3 candidates in NJ are pushing hard on education and making it a priority in this campaign.
Virginia voters should also demand that education be a priority in the campaign, and not just the same old “outdated promises.” Our children deserve real solutions and real results- not sound-bites and the status quo.
Saying No to the Status Quo
So we know that this summer we’ve been doing a lot of blogging about school choice news from around the country. But that doesn’t mean are just sitting back and accepting the status quo here in Virginia. As Virginia students get ready to head back to school, we wanted to take a quick moment to update you on some of the things we’ve been working on here at School Choice Virginia as well.
We have had a busy summer, growing our coalition of school choice supporters across the Commonwealth. Our friends from the Alliance for School Choice have made some great introductions as well, and through them, we’ve been connecting with a number of great organizations and associations throughout Virginia. As we are always looking to expand our coalition, we look forward to involving these groups in our efforts and will continue our outreach to new groups as well. If you or an organization you represent would like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you!
As many of you have also noticed, we’ve been expanding our presence online this summer as well. Many of you have already joined us on Facebook, and just this month we have also joined Twitter- where you can follow all the latest news and information. If you aren’t already receiving our E-newsletters, we invite you to take a moment to sign up online. As well as our online presence, we’ve worked to keep school choice and education reform in the news as well. Recent stories in the Richmond Times Dispatch and The New Dominion underscore the need for education reforms in the Commonwealth.
In addition, Virginia’s state-wide and House of Delegates elections are heating up, so we are watching the candidates closely on their positions on education reform and school choice. We have noted that both candidates for Governor have been talking about charter schools, and we will continue to post news and information here on the blog, and invite you to share any news from any of the candidates in Virginia related to education.
Tomorrow we’ll be meeting with many of our coalition partners in Richmond as we gear up for the fall. We have lots of exciting projects in store, so we hope you’ll check back often to find out all the details!
