Investments in education strengthen and benefit everyone

August 23, 2012

The Danville Register Bee recently reported, "Looking at definite funding losses of $3.1 million and potential losses of $1.7 million, the [Danville Public School] school system faces an expected $4.8 million in cuts in the 2013-14 budget cycle... This shortfall does not include any potential cuts from the Virginia General Assembly budget which has caused declines in the school budget for several years and has put regulations on schools that are not always fully funded. The system has already lost around $13 million in the past four years -- and more than 80 positions -- mainly due to less funding from the state. Even as Virginia celebrated a better than expected $448.5 million surplus, the public school budgets have dwindled."

Progressive Point: Home front investments--like funding for students, schools, and teachers--are our shared investment in America's future. With the school year starting, kids and parents across the Commonwealth are coming to grips with the affect of Governor McDonnell's budget on our schools. And the Romney-Ryan budget would make it worse: deep cuts to education, layoffs for tens of thousands of educators, and the expiration of the child tax credit, pushing many children back into poverty.

Investments in education strengthen and benefit everybody: driving our global competitiveness, providing a skilled workforce for businesses, and securing our families' future. But the McDonnell/Romney/Ryan plan would cut investments in Virginia's schools to give the richest few even more special tax breaks. Virginia schools are already choosing between paying for buses or teachers. We don't invest less in the things we value, and we value our children, our schools, and our Commonwealth's future.

Get the Facts:

• Paul Ryan's budget plan "would eliminate funding for 38,000 jobs for teachers and aides, and a further 27,000 jobs for educators working with children with disabilities and special needs." (New York Times, August 18, 2012)


• Danville County Schools have lost $13 million and 80 positions--mainly due to cuts in state funding. Now "the school system faces an expected $4.8 million in cuts in the 2013-14 budget cycle." (Danville Register Bee, August 17, 2012)

• An economic impact study commissioned last year by "Virginia Beach schools showed that every dollar spent by the division produced $1.53 in spending in the region. A more than 50 percent return on investment makes a powerful marketing tool." (Virginian-Pilot, July 22, 2012)


• Increasing investment in our schools and closing the educational-achievement gap between the U.S. and higher-performing countries could boost our gross domestic product by 16%. (Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2012)

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