VEA Supports Creigh Deeds for Governor of Virginia

The VEA Fund for Children and Public Education Executive Committee and VEA Fund Directors voted on July 23, 2009 to recommend to our members the candidacy of Creigh Deeds for Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 2009 election.

Our choice was based in large part upon Creigh’s proven record as an advocate and friend of public education and the public education professionals who work in our public schools.

Unlike the previous two governors who had no voting record to look to as a predictor, Creigh has a proven VEA voting record. His voting record of 93.5% compared to his opponent’s 52% voting record was just one factor that was taken into consideration, but in addition, the VEA Fund leaders took into account that in 2004, Creigh voted for Governor Mark Warner’s budget which provided an additional $1.5 million for public education. In 2008, Creigh sponsored SB267 which supported bringing Virginia teacher salaries to the national average; and Creigh also supported the ESP Health Care Credit which has been a part of our VEA Legislative agenda.

Creigh sees funding for public schools as an investment, not an expense. Unlike his opponent, he is absolutely opposed to vouchers and tuition tax credits.

Additionally, in recent days, Creigh's opponent released a proposal for addressing Virginia’s dire transportation problem with funds that would literally pit the need for road construction against the need to fund Virginia’s public schools.

The choice was clear. Virginia needs strong leadership to address the transportation crisis without pitting it against the education of our children.

I hope that our members will join me in supporting Creigh’s campaign in every way that they can. I am asking that they work in his local campaign by walking neighborhoods, working phone banks, contributing much needed VEA Fund dollars, and ultimately, getting out the vote in November.

I would also ask members of the general public to consider voting for Creigh Deeds for Governor of Virginia in 2009. He is a man of principle, and he will work hard to move Virginia forward.

This is a critical juncture for public education in Virginia. The VEA could not afford not to weigh in on this campaign, and I believe that we must help Creigh become the next Governor of Virginia.

Commentary on Transportation and Education

The following essay was published yesterday in a variety of formats including the Huffington Post in response to the McDonnell transportation proposal. The essay sums up how the VEA feels about the proposal:


By Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT & President of the Virginia Education Association

I have to admit that the last thing I ever thought I would be writing about is transportation. As Virginia Education Association (VEA) President, my main concerns center primarily around funding for Virginia's public schools and advocating for the children of the Commonwealth. Given the problems that Bob McDonnell's proposed transportation plan would cause Virginia's public schools, however, I feel compelled to speak out.

The McDonnell plan is cause for concern on two grounds. First, the plan reopens the debate regarding taking funds from the General Fund to build roads. McDonnell's plan destroys the line between the state's General Fund, which has traditionally supported schools and other core services, and the Non-General Fund, which has historically been used for our roads.

McDonnell's proposal is particularly troubling given that it is a fact that current revenues are already insufficient to fund our public schools and other core public services such as public safety. The Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly are, in fact, considering permanent cuts of $340 million per year to Virginia's school funding formula. This is absolutely the wrong time to pit the interests of the construction industry against Virginia's school children.

A second concern is that, once again, Virginians are being served up a plan for solving a critical problem that our economic future absolutely depends upon, with a plan that is largely based upon highly speculative assumptions. Let me offer some questions for readers to consider:

Can we really assume either a budget surplus or new revenue growth in the near future? If you answer, "No," subtract $136 million from the McDonnell plan.

Do you think that Pennsylvania's unapproved federal application to toll I-80 in that state establishes legal precedence and, therefore, a clear path to Virginia tolling I-81 and I-95? If that's not clear, subtract another $50 million.

My understanding is that the cost of extracting offshore oil is $100 a barrel. When the price of oil is $64 a barrel, what investor is going to go drilling off Virginia's shore looking to make a profit? Aside from that, both the Navy and NASA oppose offshore drilling in Virginia for defense related reasons. And let us not forget that there are environmental issues to be considered as well. If that plan doesn't pan out, subtract another $177 million a year from McDonnell's proposal.

Without a doubt, Virginia's transportation needs pose serious problems that deserve serious proposals. From my perspective, the problem with McDonnell's proposal is that a major portion of the money to be used would be taken away from our already financially strapped public schools. Virginians want and deserve a serious solution to our transportation crisis. I do not believe that they want to solve the transportation crisis by taking revenue from Virginia's schools and its children.