Students First VA has been highlighting the very concerning downward trend of reading scores for children in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS). A report recently provided to the Virginia Beach School Board shows that approximately 30% of all students in Grades 3-9 in VBCPS are reading below grade level. The number of minority children reading below grade level is much higher.

The newly released "Nation's Report Card" of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows a disturbing trend across our state. There has been a significant decline in both reading and math scores for Virginia fourth and eighth graders.

For the last decade, those in control of local school boards have drastically changed the structure of learning. This very troubling NAEP report shows that their methods do not work. These same people in control of our schools, pressured by the national and local teacher's unions (VBEA), also kept students out of in-person learning for far too long and caused lasting harm. The combination of these two schemes has been devastating for students and their families. There must be accountability!

It’s time for new leadership on school boards across our state. We must remove leaders who recklessly continue to focus on social and political agendas rather than preparing children for the workforce and college by focusing on basic learning tenets such as reading and math. Please get out and vote for school board candidates who will put the needs of students first, NOT the political agenda of teacher's unions like the VEA/VBEA. These are the candidates that we endorse in Virginia Beach who will always put students and their families first.

When a volunteer at the polls hands you a flyer and says, "this is who the teachers' want", they are working for the union. Locally in Virginia Beach, less than 8% of teachers belong to the local union/association. These union volunteers do NOT represent the vast majority of teachers or what teachers really want for their students!

Vote for students, families, and teachers on November 8!