Where Do The Candidates Stand On Education?

This letter came from Rob Jones of VEA regarding the upcoming gubernatorial primary in June and election in the fall. Rob gave his blessing for this work to be shared here.


Dear Members,

I have carefully watched gubernatorial candidates in Virginia weigh in on education issues since Miles Godwin narrowly defeated Henry Howell by 15,000 votes.

Not since Governors Robb and Baliles have I seen any real effort on the part of Virginia Governors to keep their promises to Virginia's educators. Wilder, Warner and Kaine all promised to bring us to the national average teacher salary but not one of them made any significant progress in moving us in the right direction. Kaine told us fully funding the Standards of Quality was his top priority, and now he is working to permanently change the formula by reducing funding by $340 million dollars a year. (Incidentally, not one of the four gubernatorial candidates embraced this plan when asked about it by Dr. Boitnott.)

So, I take the candidate promises with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, we have little other than what they have done and what they say they will do to guide us as we decide how to cast our votes.

The VEA Fund (formerly known as VEA-PAC) has not recommended a candidate, so I find myself in the delightful position of being able to discuss the positions the candidates are taking from a policy rather than a political perspective. I won't judge the candidates, but I will tell you where they stand, with an emphasis on those areas that offer a contrast. I am fortunate to have our questionnaires from all four candidates and the tapes of our forum in which all four participated (http://www.veanea.org/vea-on-your-side/gov-forum.html).

First, if you examine the candidate's VEA voting records you will see that Deeds, McDonnell and Moran have a clear history based on many sessions. Only McAuliffe lacks legislative experience and, hence, a legislative history. In 15 regular and 2 special sessions Deeds VEA voting record is 93.5%. In 11 regular sessions and 2 special sessions, McDonnell's VEA voting record is 52.4%, and in 13 regular sessions and two special sessions, Moran's voting record is 91.8%.

Deeds = 93.5%
McAuliffe = NA
McDonnell = 52.4%
Moran = 91.8%

The most obvious contrast in positions is over the issue of public funds to private schools via vouchers or tuition-tax-credits. All three Democratic candidates oppose vouchers and tuition-tax-credits, while Bob McDonnell supports tuition-tax-credits. While he alludes to Constitutional concerns regarding vouchers, he will not say that he opposes them.

All three Democratic candidates promise to oppose efforts to eliminate or weaken Virginia's continuing contract laws. McDonnell refuses to answer "yes" or "no" to the question and alludes to Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., who is "making comprehensive reforms in the school system ...."

While the three Democrats all support expanding the retiree health care credit to educational support professionals, McDonnell says he "will need more information on the fiscal impact and our current budget situation."

All three Democrats support permissive meet-and-confer legislation, while McDonnell opposes.

Perhaps, McDonnell's strong support for "performance based incentives," too, is a matter of contrast? I just heard him espousing linkage of test scores and pay at an event this morning and he lists this item as one of his top priorities on his questionnaire, but I have not heard the Democrats react to a question on that topic.

When every candidate has a dear relative who is a teacher and all see public education as the "top priority" it is difficult to determine "Who's for kids, and who's just kidding?" I hope this overview is helpful as you begin to decide which candidate deserves your support. If you are a Democrat, I urge you to vote in the June 9 primary. I urge all to vote on November 3.

Thank you,

Robley Jones

VEA GR

FYI Rob has worked for VEA as the person in charge of our legislative agenda. Before that, he was one of the most popular VEA presidents of our generation. There is no greater expert on Virginia education legislation.