Gubernatorial candidate Youngkin outlines priorities
Virginia | September 10, 2021
Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin will face off against former governor Terry McAuliffe in the election November 2. Early voting begins September 17. Youngkin spoke with the Fairfax Times about his platform and how he plans to implement change if he wins the governor’s race in November.
According to Youngkin’s website, “One party Democrat control is failing Virginians: our recovery from the pandemic ranks in the bottom 10 among states, our students are behind in school, violent crime has risen to 20-year highs, and much of government, like the Virginia Employment Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles, is broken. People are voting with their feet and leaving the Commonwealth.”
The current state of public schools in the Commonwealth is a big concern for parents and students alike, and Youngkin addressed his ideas to improve the education system. “We have actually seen the standards which kids are asked to achieve drop down for reading and math in the country. We need to ask our children to do better before they can move on, which does mean, in fact, asking our kids to do better in school,” he said. “Not necessarily making more SOL’s but we need to have them be administered appropriately and see progress. We need to invest in teachers and schools. Ask our schools to perform. When 88 schools [in the Commonwealth] didn’t reach accreditation, standards were lowered. I want to raise them. On top of that, on day one I will launch 20 new innovation charter schools, we only have eight, and add more governor’s schools.”… (Excerpts from Fairfax Times)