Terry McAuliffe for Virginia Governor
The Network for Public Education Action has endorsed Terry McAuliffe for a second term as the Governor of Virginia.
McAuliffe previously held the office from 2014-2018. In 2017, NPE Action named then Governor McAuliffe a Champion of Public Education for vetoing a group of bills that would have advanced privatization in Virginia. The bills he vetoed not only would have expanded charter schools and virtual schools, one would have established Education Savings Accounts (ESA), the worst of the voucher programs.
McAuliffe’s 2021 opponent, Republican Glen Youngkin, has proposed spending $100 million to increase the number of charter schools in the state. McAuliffe’s opposition to school choice measures has remained unchanged.
His plan to improve public education in the state is to increase funding to $2 billion per year. He intends to use that funding to raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia’s history and to expand access to pre-K for 3-4 year olds.
In stark contrast to his opponent, who is creating unrest in the state by inflaming parents to rail against the supposed teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools, McAuliffe has a plan to create an Equity Commission that will be charged with identifying the racial and socioeconomic gaps students face in the state.
We strongly encourage our supporters in Virginia to vote for Terry McAuliffe in the general election on Tuesday, November 2nd. This is a critical election.