Richmond, Virginia—Between a pandemic that is causing families to struggle with massive unemployment, a child care crisis, police brutalizing protesters in the streets on a near-nightly basis all summer long, and reckoning with our racist past, it is not just raining in Virginia, it’s pouring. But this morning, Governor Ralph Northam unveiled a budget that […]
education
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Increasing Teacher Pay and Fully Funding Schools Should Be Top Priority for Virginia Education Summit
Fairfax, Virginia—As the Virginia Education Summit kicks off today, we hope that legislators are discussing how to ensure that we increase teacher pay and fully fund our schools. Hardworking students and families deserve a world-class education, but they can’t get ahead because while the state legislature has been controlled by Republicans, the state has been […]
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What It’s Like Being an Underpaid Teacher in Virginia
Every Wednesday, I wear something red, take a picture for social media, and tag it with #RedForEd. I do this because I’m a public school teacher who knows our public schools are underfunded. I wear #RedForEd as part of a unified campaign in Virginia to bring awareness to the lack of funding and to advocate […]
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DREAMers Walk 70 Miles to Defend Their Futures
Ten Virginia DREAMers walked 70 miles from Charlottesville to Richmond last week to bring attention to the threats facing immigrants since Trump was inaugurated. “We can’t sit quietly anymore,” said Jacky Cortes, one of the organizers. “We can’t allow the political environment to drive us to fear and the shadows. Now is the time to […]
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Student Loan Borrowers: Kiss Those Low Interest Rates Good-bye!
Kiss those historically low student loan interest rates goodbye! It’s July. Humidity has descended on Virginia, we’re at the height of crab season, and the federal government has spiked interest rates for student loans. It’s the first time the government has raised rates since 2014. What does that mean for you? If you took out […]
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Digging Deeper into Debt – the Worsening Student Loan Crisis
On April 25, the United States will observe an important anniversary. Unfortunately, it won’t be a day that gives us pride or joy. It’s the five-year anniversary of the day we reached the $1 trillion mark for our collective student loan debt in America. One. Trillion. Dollars. And it continues to grow. It’s now at […]