As a high school student, I’ve seen Virginia schools suffer from underfunding under the Youngkin and Earle-Sears administration. Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears’ slogan says, “Let’s keep a good thing going,” but was her administration really good? No.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Earle-Sears vetoed many bills that would have positively affected Virginia students. They cut 30% of the budget of the Office of School Quality, which aims to correct low test scores, achievement gaps and chronic absenteeism. This left teachers and students with fewer resources to benefit their education, hurting Virginia’s future job growth. 

The Youngkin and Earle-Sears administration is also responsible for a $201 million budget shortfall for educators. By not resolving this issue, the administration forced districts and school boards to delay the hiring of teachers and leave necessary positions vacant. 

These cuts to Virginia’s education system are unacceptable, which is why we as Virginians should support Abigail Spanberger. Her plans would help Virginia’s schools by providing the funding that schools need to give the best education possible for Virginia’s students, as well as rejecting the efforts to divert funding for schools to pay for voucher programs. And during this uncertain time — when the federal government is cutting school lunch programs — we need a governor who is willing to stand up to President Donald Trump and continue to make sure that no kid goes hungry. 

JEFFREY QURESHI 

Richmond