Deeds talks education

Plans for higher education, including the Virginia Forward college scholarship, were among the discussion topics Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds presented at a meet and greet Thursday at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream.

A crowd of about 15 gathered at the coffee house for the meet and greet Thursday morning to listen to Deeds talk about his plans for education, transportation and job creation to stimulate the economy. Following a brief speech, Deeds proceeded to the Monroe Park campus to interact with students, faculty and staff.

According to the Deeds campaign Web site, the scholarship plan would offer financial assistance to high school students who maintain a “B” average and commit to work in public service in Virginia for two years after graduation.

Qualifying professions include a teacher in an underserved school division or in a high need area such as science or math, a nurse or other health care professional serving in an underserved area, a public safety officer such as police officer or firefighter, or other critically needed job.

Funding for the scholarship program would not come from raised taxes but from selling state surplus land and redirecting state debt collection to a Virginia Forward Scholars Trust Fund.

“It is all going to take a little money but the reality is ignorance is a lot more expensive,” Deeds said.

Deeds said the Virginia Forward college scholarship, which he plans to start next year, would contribute to building a stronger workforce. Job creation and transportation are two key factors Deeds said he accounts for when planning for the economy.

According to Deeds, he will focus on making higher education affordable throughout the economic recession, and one of the benefits to the scholarship plan is it will provide more people with the opportunity to go to a public university and get graduates started on a career path for public service.

“You have to be about building jobs in this economy. People are hurting,” Deeds said. “We’ve got to invigorate the economy in every sector. It is about job creations, it is about education, it is about transportation, but it is about so much more.”

However, a couple students said they remained skeptical of the candidate’s plans. They said based on everything they have seen and heard from Deeds, he is taking an overly centric view and not really standing for anything.

In regards to Deeds’ scholarship plan, students said it is not even a question of if he can, it is more of a question of if he will.

Many who attended Deeds’ speech came in full support of the candidate and his plans for higher education.

Courtney Kravetz, a sociology major, said she thinks people lost momentum after the presidential election but being governor is just as important as being the president of the United States.

In response to his plans for higher education and specifically the scholarship plan, Kravetz said Deeds’ personal life was relatable for students.

“He has four kids of his own, he knows what is it like to be both a parent and he was once a student so he knows (about) the hardships,” Kravetz said. “It would be a great opportunity for students to get