McAuliffe and Youngkin take on public education
August 24, 2021 | Virginia
They both have prioritized public education, but McAuliffe and Youngkin differ greatly on policy
by Brandon Jarvis
Critical Race Theory, teacher pay, school choice, mask mandates for students, and other education-related topics remain prominent in discussions for Virginia candidates as election season nears. This brings the partisan debate over public education to the forefront — most obviously in the gubernatorial race.
Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee, and Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee, have both made education a top facet of their campaign platform. Their proposals for change, however, show no resemblance.
Their plans
Youngkin’s plan is built around raising standards that he says were lowered during McAuliffe’s first term as governor. Politifact recently confirmed Youngkin’s claim that standards for school accreditation were eased under McAuliffe.
“[Politifact] looked into Youngkin’s claim and found McAuliffe made it much easier for schools to win state accreditation. In fact, no Virginia school has been denied accreditation since McAuliffe-backed changes went into effect at the start of the 2018-19 school year,” Politifact reported. … (Excerpts from Virginia Scope)
