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12:00 PM: GOVERNOR RECEIVES BRIEFING FROM SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND TRADE CAREN MERRICK
4:30 PM GOVERNOR MEETS WITH THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS
Spanberger knocks Vega in new ad over police funding
Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) campaign released a new digital ad Monday attacking her opponent for past votes on funding for law enforcement in Prince William County.
Spanberger is facing a challenge from Republican nominee Yesli Vega for the VA-07 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Vega is an auxiliary sheriff’s deputy in Prince William. Spanberger previously served as a federal law enforcement officer and CIA case officer
The ad highlightsVega’s voting record as a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. Spanberger’s campaign cited thesethreevotes.
VA-07
Glenn Youngkin won VA-07 with 52% of the vote in 2021
Some Newcomers Rely Heavily on a Single Donor - Virginia Public Access Project
From VPAP: “Fundraising for the next round of state House elections got off to its fastest start ever this year, with nearly two dozen challengers and open-seat candidates raising at least $10,000 by the end of June. There were two reasons for the quick start: Redistricting resulted in an unprecedented number of open seats, which created opportunities for newcomers. And it was possible the courts might schedule state House elections this November, a year sooner than expected. The visual below shows that many of these hastily organized campaigns relied heavily on a single donor, often the candidate himself/herself or the advocacy group, Clean Virginia.”
In new 1st District, Jones sees opportunity; Wittman feels 'home again' - Richmond Times Dispatch
by Michael Martz
Democratic challenger Herb Jones plans to attack the voting record of Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, in a bid to unseat the 15-year Republican incumbent in a redrawn congressional district with nearly 60% of the voters new to the district.
But Jones, former longtime treasurer of New Kent County, faces a threshold challenge in raising money to defeat the well-financed Wittman. Democrats, in Virginia and nationally, are focused more on protecting congressional incumbents, such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, who currently lives in the western Henrico County suburbs that are part of the new 1st Congressional District.
Though they were once allies in promoting a casino in Richmond, Urban One founder and chairperson Cathy Hughes and Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, are now at odds as the state senator has pivoted toward pushing the Virginia General Assembly to let Petersburg choose whether it wants a casino instead.
Teacher vacancies in Varina, Fairfield put strain on Henrico County Schools - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Anna Bryson
The Henrico County Public Schools division is facing nearly 190 teacher vacancies at its traditional schools, and the majority of those vacancies — nearly 70% — are at schools in the Fairfield and Varina districts.
With two weeks until school begins, about 128 teacher vacancies remain in Fairfield and Varina — two districts that have majority-Black populations and serve more than half of Henrico’s economically disadvantaged students.
Policies that notify Virginia parents of ‘sexually explicit content’ in school materials are on the way - Virginian-Pilot
by Kelsey Kendall
Virginia school boards have until the end of the year to adopt policies to inform parents if any instructional materials contain sexually explicit content, the latest step in the debate over what and how children should be taught.
The mandate is the result of legislation passed by the General Assembly earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who made expanding parents’ influence over public education a centerpiece of his campaign. The process will be similar to another mandate from the state last year — requiring school boards to pass policies that protect transgender students.
Op-Ed: Virginia’s Education Future is Now on the Right Track - Washington Post
By Secretary Aimee Guidera
Aimee Guidera is the Virginia education secretary.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) first action within an hour of being sworn in to office was to affirm his commitment to restoring excellence to education throughout the commonwealth. Since Day 1, his administration has focused on providing every learner — regardless of background or Zip code — with opportunities to access quality education. As parents and children get ready to go back to school, our commitment to Virginians remains that every family has access to a quality education that prepares their children for success in life.
Some people quibble with our use of the term “restore.” They cite national rankings and question why we are not celebrating our reputation. I know there is excellence in Virginia education; I was a consumer of it. I first became a Virginian in 1995, when my husband chose to attend one of the nation’s most innovative law and economics programs, at George Mason University; we remained Virginians because of the promise of excellent public schools for our daughters. But I also know that the exceptional education experiences from which our family benefited are not the norm for every family and every community in the commonwealth.
