McDonnell’s “Race to the Bottom” Contest

While President Obama looks to boost federal spending on education within Virginia and nationwide, Gov. McDonnell has decided to make catastrophic cuts to education funding within Virginia.

President Obama has proposed the following key education investments for Virginia:

• $1 billion for schools, students, and teachers.
• $642.7 million in new funding for Pell Grants to help families pay for college.

Gov. McDonnell has proposed the following catastrophic cuts:

• Reduce K-12 funding by $731 million.
• Cut the Tuition Assistance Grant Program by $19.8 million and eliminate the Eminent Scholars Program by $6.8 million.
• Reduce funding to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to the tune of $1.5 million.
• Reduce funding to Higher Education Centers by $1.3 million.

President Obama realizes the importance and value in making key investments in education. The economic advantages of a highly educated workforce are undeniable. According to a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), minor improvements in student achievement would add $40 billion in GDP to the United States by 2090. Imagine what can be achieved economically through more significant improvements. The sky is the limit. Investing in education makes good economic sense.

The OECD also issued a report that shows that a male in the United States who attains a college degree will make $367 thousand more over his lifetime. A female graduate would make over $229 thousand more over her lifetime. As these figures indicate, more has to be done to close this gender gap.

If we want to attract the businesses of tomorrow, we need to make necessary investments today. A highly skilled workforce will play a pivotal role in our future economic growth. Gov. McDonnell is sacrificing our future economic growth potential by playing politics with our children’s future and failing to make the educational investments that will continue to make Virginia a leader in attracting new businesses.

President Obama recently announced a “Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge.” The President has challenged schools across the country to show how they are making great strides on improving personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness. The President will deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010 at the winning school. Application forms are due no later than Monday, March 15 at 11:59 EST.

Gov. McDonnell’s catastrophic cuts are nothing more than a “Race to the Bottom” contest, which I’m afraid we are destined to win.