Providing a high-quality education for our children is one of the most important things we can do as parents and as citizens. Fortunately, we have a wonderful array of colleges and universities in Virginia. I know that to compete in the globalized, 21st century economy with kids from developing world such as China and India, our own children will need a world-class education. I understand that to do this, we must make a commitment to invest resources in our children to give them the tools to make this happen.

In order to ensure that kids from all backgrounds can afford to go to college, I believe we need to look at innovative approaches to making sure all children have the opportunity to take advantage of Virginia’s world class university system. In addition, it is critically important that we start educating all our kids as early as possible. That’s why I support a continuation and expansion of Governor Kaine’s pre-kindergarten program to include all 4-year-olds in Virginia.

I strongly support the law signed by Gov. Kaine in 2006 to provide in-state college tuition rates for children of military personnel stationed in Virginia. I also strongly support allowing the children of active-duty military members who are ordered to relocate to a new school district to continue attending the school they attended immediately prior to the relocation, tuition-free.

It is essential that we invest in both the creation of jobs in Russell County, in Southwest Virginia and across the Commonwealth, and in the education of the generation that will fill those jobs. We must couple job creation with education so that we can create a 21^st Century workforce, and keep it right here in Virginia.