Jessica Anderson for Virginia House of Delegates, 71st District
NPE Action is proud to endorse Jessica Anderson for Virginia House of Delegates, 71st District (VA HD-71 in Williamsburg, VA). Jessica is an everyday Virginian who has been active in her community for the past 10 years and now she is running to represent the 71st District in the Virginia House of Delegates. She is a member of her local Democratic Committee, the Historic Triangle Democrats. She has been actively attending meetings in other organizations, including local NAACP groups, education advocacy groups, and community events for no-profit organizations in the 71st District. Jessica is also currently employed as a front office receptionist at an elementary school in her district. Every day she sees and hears the concerns of teachers and parents. Several years ago she started a Facebook group so that parents and teachers in her community could have conversations on how to best serve students in the 71st district.
Jessica told NPE Action she is running because the current Delegate in the 71st District has a legislative record that is too extreme for the majority of voters in her community. Jessica feels her District deserves a leader who is willing to sit down and listen to all constituents and create policy that works for the majority, not the few. She is ready to deliver meaningful results so that all families have an opportunity to thrive. She feels strengthening the Virginia public education system, protecting reproductive rights, passing common sense gun safety reforms, and enacting family care policies like paid family and sick leave are important for all families.
Jessica further believes that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a huge increase in educators leaving the profession because of burnout and the demands of the job. Teachers haven’t felt appreciated because their pay isn’t adequate, their class sizes keep increasing, they are paying for supplies out of pocket, and their classrooms no longer feel safe because of the threat of gun violence. She is the only candidate running in the 71st District who has kids in the public school system and has a true vested interest in the future of Virginia public schools.
Jessica’s positions on charters, vouchers, and testing are all in line with those of NPE Action.
Here’s what Jessica told us:
Charters: “I believe that transparency is key to building public trust, especially when public taxpayer funds are involved. I support requiring companies and organizations that manage charter schools to release to both parents and the public how they spend their funds, including the additional items mentioned. Personally, I do not believe that charter schools should be receiving taxpayer dollars at all. Taxpayer funds are best used when they are invested in our public schools, so I do support a moratorium on charter schools.”
Vouchers: “As I’ve said before, I do not support the redistribution of tax dollars away from our public schools to charter schools. This includes the use of traditional vouchers, ESA vouchers, or tax credits to allow money to follow students to private or parochial schools. Properly funding our public schools should always be our priority.”
Testing: “Children today are being tested far more often than when I attended public schools. I believe less testing would be beneficial to students since testing relies heavily on memorization. Instead, we should put an emphasis on students using the knowledge they’ve gained in the classroom and applying it to skills that will benefit them later in life.”
NPE Action urges public education supporters in the Virginia 71st district to get out the vote for Jessica Anderson in the general election on November 7th.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. Authorized and paid for by National for Public Education Action, PO Box 227. New York, NY 10156. 646-678-4477.