National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement on the results of the election in Virginia:
“Today the people of Virginia sent a clear message, as voters across the commonwealth demanded an end to the right-wing attacks on public schools, book bans, and censoring history.
“Over the last few months, right-wing billionaires have been pouring their money into these elections seeking to prop up the political ambitions of Glenn Youngkin. Those billionaires are desperate for anyone but Donald Trump to be the GOP nominee, which is why they spent millions of dollars to buoy their latest candidate de jour. But as Youngkin made this election a referendum on his political ambitions, voters spoke loudly in rejecting him and his radical agenda.
“In this election, voters turned out in large numbers to elect leaders focused on partnering with parents, grandparents, and educators to help every student thrive - no matter their race, place, or background.
“Virginians went to the polls focused on the real issues impacting students — demanding leaders focus on getting students more academic and mental health support in school, keeping guns out of schools, addressing educator shortages by providing educators professional compensation, and fully funding public education to prepare our students for success.
“Over the course of this campaign, parents and educators together spoke to their friends, neighbors, and communities. They volunteered, going door-to-door and joining phone banks, to ensure the future for Virginia’s public schools and students was on the ballot.
“And tonight, parents and educators are celebrating big wins for students and public schools across Virginia.”
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.
