Week 6 of Our Survey Series: How Will Our Candidates Improve Education?

As parents of children who went through the public school system, my wife Anne and I know firsthand the power that good teachers have to change kids’ lives for the better. There are about 4,500 teacher vacancies in Virginia, and the highest vacancy levels tend to be in schools with higher concentrations of Black students and students living in poverty. I have introduced several bills to combat teacher shortages. For example, my bipartisan Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act would address teacher and principal shortages, particularly in rural communities, and increase teacher diversity by expanding the definition of “high need” districts under the Every Student Succeeds Act. I also have a bill called the Supporting Teaching and Learning through Better Data Act, which would address teacher workforce shortages by strengthening data collection on the teacher workforce. Moreover, we must take steps like expanding access to Pre-K to close achievement gaps. When I was Governor, I worked across the aisle to expand Pre-K enrollment in Virginia by 40 percent. Earlier this year, I successfully pushed for a $1 billion increase for early childhood learning in child care in the government funding package, which included a $66.5 million increase in funding to support universal pre-K for service member families.

Cao responded:

My parents wanted me to achieve more than they had. I want my kids to be able to exceed my accomplishments. Every American wants the next generation to be more successful than their own.

We are the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Our schools should be excellent, and parents should have the power to demand that. If parents feel that their child’s education is not up to their standard, they should be able to take their tax dollars to a school that does meet that standard. School choice gives power back to parents and ensures that your future isn’t determined by your zip code. When we escaped Vietnam right before the fall of Saigon to the Communists, my parents dreamed of a place where their children can thrive. They taught us that your money or your title can be taken away in the blink of an eye, but your knowledge is forever. We owe the same commitment to our children and our children’s children.

Anderson did not respond.

Vindman responded:

As the father of two kids currently in public school, and the husband of a former public school teacher, who taught all over the country and overseas, I see the gaps in our public education system every day. My daughter does not have a permanent language arts teacher.  We also have kids learning in trailers rather than in classrooms. This is a problem across our district.

Growing up in an immigrant family, my brothers and I attended high-quality public schools that allowed our family to live the American dream; but for too many communities the lack of necessary resources is keeping kids back, teachers away, and success out of reach for too many families. In Congress, I commit to being a partner for every community in the 7th district and fight to ensure they have the resources to support every student, and I will fight back against MAGA extremists on local school boards who are plotting to ban books and compromise our kids’ education.

I will work across the aisle to secure federal funding to increase teacher pay, rebuild schools, and bring technology into the classroom. I will also use my position to foster more relationships between our schools and the building trades, ensuring that students interested in pursuing a career in the trades have a clear path to enrolling in an apprenticeship program after graduation. I will work to build consensus around common-sense solutions to lower the costs of college, including community colleges, so that every hard-working student who wants to pursue a college degree is able to do so, no matter their family’s financial situation. But more than any solution that I can propose, I will always look to the local leaders, educators, students, and parents for their ideas, and find ways I can support them as they fight to make our schools the best in the country.