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In a few days the Senate Finance Committee will unveil its version of the next two-year budget. All that I can report to you today is that it will please almost no one. We are all aware of the dire economic straits in which we find the Commonwealth. Ironically, when resources are most scarce, the need for services is most acute and the prospects for new funding the most remote. |
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The appeal to "do more with less" is heard more often in times such as these and that is not a bad thing. Many of our friends and neighbors have lost jobs, state tax revenues are down, and any budget sacrifice will be shared. Difficulties such as these force state and local governments to rethink their priorities. Naturally, we should always be examining and reexamining what we do and how we are doing it. This approach is how successful private sector ventures work and it is how the public sector ought to operate. |
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The cuts in public education funding will surely alarm many. Nothing draws a more sympathetic ear than appeals to take care of our children in the classroom, and rightfully so. By the same token, nothing should keep us from looking with an open mind at any reform measures that might improve the education our children receive.
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You may find instructive what the Senate has considered so far regarding K-12 education. Schools will continue to be required to purchase new textbooks while class sizes grow. School calendars will continue to delay school opening until after Labor Day. And much to my regret, families of children with autism were denied the choice of a private specialized school should a parent find an educational setting they believe more appropriate for their child.
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Bills have passed which will result in maintaining records of pesticide applications at schools, make sure Driver Education includes instruction on how to drive fuel efficiently, and spend $210,000 to regulate the nutritional value of foods sold at school. |
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In addition, it is my fervent hope that the three educational reform measures proposed by Governor McDonnell last week get a full and fair hearing in the Senate and House. One measure would have the State Board of Education pre-certify charter school applications. In addition to being sound policy, this would enable Virginia to tap into $350 million in federal funds. Another would establish on-line virtual schools enabling students who struggle in a traditional classroom environment to engage in distance learning that suits their needs. The third would establish laboratory schools connected to our colleges and universities that would provide expanded innovation and flexibility with the results being shared with parents and educators.
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In my constituent survey, equally high marks were given to funding public schools and making it easier to establish charter schools. Residents of the 12th District understand that the goals of supporting the current system while looking for reforms and improvements are not mutually exclusive but, in fact, compatible.
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One spokesman for the educational establishment has been quoted as saying, "We support parents making good educational choices for their children, but we're opposed to having a public policy device that would allow that to happen."
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On the contrary, if this session ends up expanding educational opportunities for our children and setting us on a course of innovation and improvement, it will have a lasting, positive legacy. |
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Walter Stosch
12th Senatorial District
Commonwealth of Virginia
As always I value the views and insights of my constituents.
My website is always available to you.
on the home page and also via this link.
I look forward to hearing from you. |
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Please use my Senate website as a useful resource and to contact me
during the General Assembly and throughout the year.
Authorized and paid for by Friends of WALTER STOSCH |
