Education is a priority for many General Assembly candidates

Selna Shi, News Editor

Jessica Vigil, Contributing Writer

Han Vu, Contributing Writer

Many General Assembly candidates have listed education as one of their priorities, according to a previous article by the Commonwealth Times.

“Education might be one of the most important issues for November,” said Amanda Wintersieck, VCU associate political science professor. “That’s because both of our chambers in the state are up for grabs and a shift in the bodies could impact what legislative policies look like in the next couple of years.”

Wintersieck said education is not just a critical issue in Virginia, but also nationally, as more legislators nationwide are pushing for parental rights in public education.

“The parental rights movement, which is focused on K-12 education and this idea that parents should have a say, what teachers are teaching their kids in the classroom and what books are stocked on the library shelves,” Wintersieck said.

Since Gov. Glenn Youngkin was elected in 2021, his administration has also pushed for “Parents Matter,” which reflects the parental rights movement in education policies such as banning critical race theory in K-12 and anti-trans policies, according to reports. 

There is also a push against higher education, Wintersieck said.

“This inaccurate narrative that universities are indoctrinating students into liberalism. To be very clear, universities are run by conservatives. If you look at the boards that run universities, those individuals tend to be much more conservative,” Wintersieck said.

Youngkin appointed Rooz Dababhoy this past June to VCU’s Board of Visitors. She has posted against critical race theory in the classroom saying it has “no place in our schools,” according to a previous article by the Commonwealth Times. 

Wintersieck said red and blue states will have a bigger discrepancy based on the different education policies. 

“We know that today, going to college still leads to better outcomes to earning or earning potentials,” Wintersieck said. “This is going to have generational effects because banning types of things that can be taught in the classroom, banning types of books on the shelves all the way to discouraging people from seeking higher education.” 

Wintersieck said the country is currently in the “pendulum swing” of going backward.

“That is not good for creating an inclusive society,” Wintersieck said. 

James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, stated in an email that leaders do not understand the challenges the public education system faces.

“The education policies that affect our daily lives and the lives of our students are, unfortunately, made by elected leaders whose only knowledge of the classroom is their memory of having once been a student,” Fedderman stated. “Elections matter, and the results of this November’s races will reverberate through our schools for years to come.” 

Fedderman also stated Virginia still needs to solve the teacher shortage problem. More teachers are leaving the workforce than entering it in the 2021 to 2022 school year, according to a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. 

Virginia ranks 28th in average salaries of public school teachers, standing at $59,874, according to the Virginia Department of Education. 

“We still need funding to stem the teacher shortage, get mental health support into our schools, and provide small group tutoring we know our students desperately need to catch up after the pandemic,” Fedderman stated.

VCU students have also expressed that education is an important issue to them in this election. 

Prakhar Mathur, a junior computer science student, said he and his friends started a drive to help collect school supplies for public school teachers. Mathur also said he worries about the teacher shortage.

“I know in Henrico county there’s just not enough teachers,” Mathur said. “I know a lot of people are deterred from becoming teachers because they don’t get paid enough, that I think is the most explicit thing. They don’t have enough resources and sometimes they have to pay out of pocket to provide resources for the students.”

Jaden Davy, a senior political science student, said education is an important issue to her in the election as Virginia has taken aggressive action against teaching critical race theory, or CRT.

“Critical race theory is important as it addresses the past oppressions minorities have faced and how the deep-rooted oppression continues to exist in modern society,” Davy said.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned teaching CRT in K-12 public schools in January 2022.

Kiana Pilson, a campus staff minister for InterVarsity at VCU, said the education system should invest in the next generation.

“Education should be accessible for everyone. The teachers who are pouring into education or supporting the education system should also be supported,” Pilson said.

Pilson’s dad is a high school principal, and she said she noticed that it’s been hard to retain teachers post-pandemic.

“If we don’t have teachers in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in the long run, then what does that say when they become adults and they’re the ones running our country,” Pilson said.