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Creigh Deeds vs. Bob McDonnell: The Road Forward or the Road Backward

Gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds issued an expanded proposal for K-12 education today. Comments from VEA President Dr. Kitty Boitnott follow:

Today's release of Creigh Deeds' detailed proposals for the expansion of educational opportunity and continued improvement of Virginia's highly-regarded public schools demonstrates clearly for all Virginians why the Virginia Education Association has recommended him for Governor.

"The contrast could not be presented more clearly," stated Dr. Kitty Boitnott, VEA President. “Deeds will build on the strong public schools we have, while his opponent, with his lengthy record of failing to support investment in our schools, proposes gimmicks like vouchers and tax credits.”

"Deeds wants to ensure that our children have the 21st Century Skills they need to prosper in a global economy while his opponent sees our schools as a place where our children obtain only ‘a minimum level of self-sufficiency.’

“Deeds wants to attract, retain, and develop the most highly qualified teachers for our children and his opponent wants to pretend that we don't have a competitive pay problem.

"Deeds offers the auditing of school division budgets to ferret out waste and better use existing funds while his opponent offers a bogus ‘dollars-to-the-classroom’ proposal that has been rejected by voters and legislatures across the country.

"Deeds recognizes that innovation in our public schools takes many forms -- including magnet, charter, and special purpose schools while his opponent offers charter schools as a narrow panacea and would wrest decision-making from our local school boards just to make his ideological point.

"When it comes to expanding educational opportunity for Virginia, Creigh Deeds represents the path forward while Bob McDonnell and his ideas will take us backward.

“Hopefully, the economy will improve and our next Governor will have the resources to invest in public education. VEA urges our citizens to compare the plans from both candidates and ask yourself one question:  Which one puts forth the best ideas for the educational future of our children?”

For more information, contact Dr. Kitty Boitnott at (804) 873-8303.