ENROLLMENT: Education is likely to remain a serious concern and political flashpoint. Recent data shows continued declines in public school enrollment, especially here in Northern Virginia. Cardinal News’s Dwayne Yancey reports on the changes in enrollment here, https://cardinalnews.org/2024/01/17/virginia-school-enrollment-projected-to-drop-faster-than-expected-with-biggest-declines-in-northern-virginia/

UNIONS: Despite the evidence reported above that Fairfax County parents have lost confidence in our public schools, local teachers’ unions continue to lobby our school board to limit parental participation and oversight. The Washington Examiner’s Stephanie Lundquist-Arora covers events from last week’s school board meeting here, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2802289/fairfax-countys-teachers-unions-fail-students/

SCHOOL CLOSURES: We have significant enrollment drops in Fairfax County Public Schools and across the state, teacher unions that continue to fight parental involvement, and now Virginia Board of Education Member Anne Holton, wife of US Senator Tim Kaine (D), wants to deny that pandemic school closures didn’t impact education! Bacon’s Rebellion featured a two-part article last week, Why Is Anne Holton Claiming The Length of Virginia’s School Closures Didn’t Matter?, which is a scathing rebuke of her effort to diminish the effects of long-term school closures.

SCHOOL CHOICE/INNOVATION: This week, 1/21-27, is National School Choice Week and Lt. Governor Winsome Sears, who was appointed by former Governor Bob McDonnell to serve on the Virginia State Board of Education, starts us off with her views on the importance of education, choice and innovation in her opinion piece for The Roanoke Star, https://theroanokestar.com/2024/01/19/op-ed-school-choice-week-by-winsome-earle-sears-lt-governor-of-virginia/