Gov. McAuliffe in education roundtable at Kellam

Gov. Terry McAuliffe and education leaders from across Hampton Roads, including Virginia Beach Education Association president Trenace Riggs, will take part in an education roundtable on Monday at Kellam High School to talk about reinvesting in education, reducing a pressure-packed testing environment and looking at new ways to enhance the traditional high school experience.

The roundtable will take place at 11:30 a.m.

State secretary of education Anne Holton is also expected to be among those in attendance.

A recent report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission noted that K-12 spending in Virginia Beach and across Virginia is down. McAuliffe has said he would make education a priority in a budget proposal he is expected to release in December.

“We look forward to engaging in a dialogue with the governor, Secretary Holton and our city’s and region’s teachers on how we can put more resources back in the classroom while discussing ways to put forth a better, more accurate and most just system of accountability that replaces a ‘one-size-fits-all’ system of testing,” Riggs said. “We also look forward to a discussion on ways to restore the funding that Virginia Beach and localities throughout Virginia have lost since 2008.”

Teachers from across south Hampton Roads and the Peninsula  will take part in the roundtable conversation with McAuliffe, Holton and Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Staples. The public is invited and will be able to submit written questions.

“In a time when education funding is at risk, it is encouraging to see the governor talking to stakeholder groups about our priorities for the teaching and learning taking place in classrooms across Virginia,” said VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence. “We are happy to host such an important conversation and lend our voice to advocate for the children, teachers and families of Virginia Beach and the larger Hampton Roads community.”

McAuliffe, who has been holding education roundtables across Virginia, will have held eight such events by the time his final one concludes in October in discussing education priorities and the future of Virginia’s education system.  At all his roundtables, McAuliffe has met with groups of parents, students and community members to talk about education priorities and the future of Virginia’s education system.

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