July 17, 2008
Former Governor Mark Warner Looks To Senate To Continue Progress On Education
Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia and current candidate for the US Senate, has dedicated his political career to improving public education. Between 2002 and 2006 Warner spent much of his time as Governor working to improve Virginia's K-12 public education system. He spoke out in support of alternative schooling, such as charter schools, and secured large amounts of funding for education. Under Warner's leadership in 2002 and 2003, K-12 funding was increased by over $100 million. In 2004 Warner implemented a tax package that led to a $1.5 billion increase in funding for K-12, the largest K-12 investment in the history of the state.
After securing this increase in funds, Gov. Warner worked to create innovative and efficient programs to help improve Virginia's public school system. One major project was the Education for a Lifetime (EFL) initiatives, which focus on teacher quality, retention and recruitment. One aspect of the initiatives is providing teachers with incentives to stay at a disadvantaged school or relocate to another, understaffed school. Another EFL initiative is the renowned Virginia School Turnaround Specialist Program, which works to improve leadership in low-performing schools. Under this program, which Warner launched in 2004, top-ranked faculty members from Virginia graduates schools are brought in to train public school principals. The program has been an enormous success, and it has spread to other cities including Chicago and Philadelphia.
Warner understands the need for accountability in the public school system. As governor, he stressed the importance of the Standards of Learning (SOL) program, Virginia's testing standards for accreditation. SOL was introduced in 1995, but when Gov. Warner entered office only 40% of the public schools met the standard for full accreditation. By the end of Warner's term, during which he worked with the leaders of both parties to push for accreditation, the accreditation level was at 92%.
In 2005 Warner stated, "This year's accreditation ratings cap a long, bipartisan process in which we stood firm in our efforts to raise standards and insist on accountability. Rather than retreat, we united, and provided the intervention and resources our students and schools needed to meet higher standards."
Throughout his career, Gov. Warner has found other, private outlets through which to make an impact on education. Warner has been a longitme supporter of the non-profit organization Communities in Schools (CIS), and currently serves on their Leadership Council. Ranked as one of the world's most influential non-profit groups by Worth Magazine, CIS is an organization focused on dropout prevention, and encourages students to stay in school by connecting schools with necessary community resources and services.
"Schools have the special responsibility of equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed," Gov. Warner said in 2001 in praise of the services that CIS offers. "But schools cannot do it alone. Whole communities must be involved, from the groups that run after school activities to the businesses that understand the skills that today's employers demand."
Governor Warner is currently running for US Senate in the 2008 election and undoubtedly has a long and illustrious political career ahead of him. Surely his track record on education will resonate with voters. We wish you luck, Gov. Warner!
