VEA endorses Wagner for LG

The VEA Fund for Children and Education has endorsed Democratic candidate Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor. In a press release this afternoon, the Fund’s chairperson, Kitty Boitnott, provided the following statement:

It is my honor and pleasure to formally announce the VEA Fund recommendation of the candidacy of Jody Wagner for Lieutenant Governor.

As with all VEA Fund Recommendations, we analyzed the candidate questionnaires, examined past records and attempted to interview the candidates.

Mrs. Wagner is committed to:

• restoring cuts to education funding as Virginia’s economy improve
• bringing Virginia’s school employee salaries to the national average
• resisting efforts to divert scarce public funds from public to private schools

The issue that most distinguishes Mrs. Wagner from her opponent is her work on Governor Warner’s team, as Treasurer of the Commonwealth.  This team delivered an historic investment of $1.5 billion dollars in our public schools.

We believe Mrs. Wagner’s commitment to public education, when combined with her knowledge of Virginia’ budget, will make her an integral part of the leadership team we need to make public education Virginia’s top priority.

Lieutenant Governor Bolling had a 49.66% VEA voting record in his ten regular sessions and two special sessions in the Senate of Virginia.  Notable votes include:

• Voted against investing $1.5 billion in public education (SB 635)
• Voted against paying Virginia’s teachers the national average salary (2004 – SB1285)
• Voted against planning time for elementary school teachers (2002 – SB 52)
• Voted against contracts for ESP (2004 – SB 520)
• Voted against state funding for elementary guidance counselors (1998 – HB 303, 2000 – HB 245, 2002 – HB 1136)
• Voted against state funding for reading specialists in elementary schools (1998 – HB 427)
• Voted against establishing Family Life Education in Virginia’s schools (1998- SB 206)
• Voted to allow non-public school students to participate in public school extracurricular activities (1999 – SB 1316)
• Voted to eliminate the requirement that persons providing home school instruction have a baccalaureate degree (2004 – HB 675, 2004 – HB 5001)

The 2004 Special Session, which led to an additional $1.5 billion for public education, was probably the most consequential session in the political lives of the two candidates.  In that session Wagner stood with Governor Warner, Senator Chichester and VEA in support of restoring structural balance to the budget of the Commonwealth, protecting Virginia’s AAA bond rating, and investing in public education.  Bolling was dead set against us.

In regard to the two candidates for Lieutenant Governor, my colleagues and I have carefully examined the records, given both candidates the opportunity to participate in the interview process and examined the candidate questionnaires.  Careful and thoughtful attention to these tasks led to a unanimous vote by the VEA Fund Directors across Virginia in support of the candidacy of Jody Wagner.

In a separate press release, Wagner said:

I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Virginia Education Association. As a mother of four, I know the critical role that teachers play in the lives of our children, and I’m humbled to have their support. As both an activist in my community and a member of the Warner and Kaine administrations, I’ve been committed to ensuring that Virginia’s children receive a quality education that provides them with opportunities in the future, and trains them to be competitive in the 21^st Century economy. I was proud to work with Governors Warner and Kaine to make historic investments in public education, and I look forward to working with parents, teachers, students and the business community over the next four years to continue improving our education system.