Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Jeff believes our children deserve the highest quality education so that every child will have the tools to become anything they dream. And, with the significant investment taxpayers are making in education, he strongly believes that the best return on that investment is children getting the great education they deserve.

As Delegate, Jeff made education a top priority. That's why he's worked closely with the state's educators by holding a successful Teacher's Summit. He served on the House Committee on Education, created an Education Advisory Committee (the only legislator in Virginia to have done so) so he could regularly meet with and hear directly from educators on the challenges they face. Jeff feels it is important to stay on top of the SOLs (Standards of Learning) to make certain they are working to improve accountability in our schools without putting an undue burden on our children, and he is the first member of the General Assembly to visit the Department of Education and actually take the SOLs, giving him first-hand knowledge of the tests.

Jeff has also introduced important legislation that provides a tax credit to teachers for un-reimbursed classroom expenses, and he sponsored the Education Improvement Act of 2005 to increase student performance in reading.

Jeff has worked to make college more affordable by passing legislation to provide military families in-state tuition, and he sponsored a grant program that makes a 4-year college education more affordable for Virginia residents.

Finally, in his continued efforts to gain insight into our schools, he has volunteered in our public schools as a teacher's aide.

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