The Virginia PTA and the Virginia Education Association have joined together to launch a new public awareness campaign called “Put Kids First.”
VEA President Meg Gruber pointed out that before the recent recession, Virginia ranked number one in the nation on the “chance of success” index for children, but that the state has now fallen to 9th place. And in spite of rhetoric at the Capitol about “holding the line” on education cuts, state funding has actually dropped 16% since 2009,when inflation is taken into account. Gruber said the new campaign aims to help the public recognize the troubling signs:
Gruber said elected leaders claim to be “friends of education”… so parents, teachers, and the public must compel them to take action to reverse these trends. The organizations will hold a rally in support of public education at the State Capitol on April 18th. More information can be found here.
Here’s the full audio of the news conference in Richmond:
Virginia Public Radio 