WHY WOULD we want a governor who helped to freeze in-state tuition and is looking to cut it further? Why would we want a governor who is prepared to allocate $1 billion more of the state budget to colleges and universities around Virginia? The better question is, why not? Mark Earley (R) has spent his terms as attorney general and state senator in Virginia working to improve higher education in the Commonwealth.
Once he is comfortably seated in the governor's chair in Richmond, Earley will continue to work to improve universities statewide as he has in the past. Earley is the only candidate in the race to have completed his entire education in public schools, so he, like so many of us, has a personal interest in seeing them succeed. In his former years in office, the governor-to-be has cut college costs 20 percent and prevented tuition increases.
So what does Earley want to do for us aside from keep our checks to the University down to a minimum? Well, he has pledged support for programs that will make it easier for students to get jobs and internships after they leave Hooville. For example, Earley is planning to provide tax credits to biotech firms who hire graduates of Virginia universities. He also will be founding the "Virginia Opportunity Training Corps," an organization that provides college students with loans if they plan to teach in the state of Virginia after finishing school.
Alongside these education policies, Earley supports a host of proposals that will indirectly benefit Wahoos. For example, he is the only candidate that supports keeping the Internet tax-free. Think of it, a political candidate, fighting to ensure that you do not have to pay tax on every Amazon purchase that you make. Also, Earley knows that we all pay enough in parking fines to the University and the local towing services, so he will continue to back the elimination of the car tax. Three hundred dollars goes a long way toward paying off the fine for parking too close to the dorms.
In order to assure that future generations of Wahoos continue to live up to our standard of excellence, Earley is ready to ensure that our kindergarten through high school education programs only get better. In fact, before Earley's first year in office is over, he will have hired 21,000 mentors statewide to keep all of Virginia's children ahead of the curve.
Earley's commitment to K-12 does not stop with the mentors program, though. As part of his I.N.V.E.S.T. strategy (Investing Now in Virginia's Economy, Schools and Transportation), the former state senator has several plans that will improve grade schools statewide. One of his finest ideas is a scholarship program for low-income students. This plan will give more substantial tax credits for contributions to organizations that fund students from poorer areas.
Also, Earley aims to expand the "Troops to Teach" program that is gaining popularity around the nation. This leg of Earley's platform has particular appeal to U.Va.'s ROTC community because it offers benefits to former military personnel that decide to invest in school children's futures by leading a classroom.
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As is apparent from the above discussion of Earley's positions regarding education, he does not believe that government is the solution to our problems. All of the aforementioned policies are not aimed at increasing the state house's reach and scope, but instead they are intended to further empower the Commonwealth's citizens to improve their own communities. Whether it be the $1 billion in additional school funding or his strong emphasis on the need for extensive parental involvement, Earley makes it clear that he will provide the vision and the means for Virginia to improve, but everyone from Lee County to Virginia Beach and up to Fairfax must be willing to participate.
If you are concerned about your siblings being taught properly, seeing your Education School friends all make more money than they are currently expecting and making sure that U.Va. finally buries the University of California-Berkeley in the rankings once and for all, then Earley is your candidate. He has waited for the big yellow bus in the rain as a tyke, he has waited on the corner for his children to get off of the big yellow bus, and now he is waiting for the opportunity to make life better for everyone who is on the bus of public education.
(Adam Hatcher is a third-year College student. He is chairman of the College Republicans.)
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