WHEREAS, all children in Virginia should have access to a high quality public education; and

WHEREAS, Virginia recognizes the important role that a quality education plays in preparing all students in Virginia for success in life; and

WHEREAS, quality education is critically important to the economic vitality and vibrancy of the communities of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, students have different needs and learning styles and a monolithic delivery of education does not serve the myriad needs of families; and

WHEREAS, Virginia currently has only 7 charter schools, but its neighboring state of North Carolina has close to 200 and the District of Columbia has 123; and

WHEREAS, School Choice Week is celebrated across the country by millions of students, parents, educators, schools, and organizations to raise awareness of the need for effective educational options;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize January 23 through January 29, 2022, as VIRGINIA SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens, and proclaim that:

Virginia must empower parents by creating innovation within K-12 public schools to best adapt to the needs of Commonwealth’s students; and

Virginia is committed to increasing education options for its youth by seeking $150 million to help meet a goal of starting at least 20 new public charter schools in the Commonwealth; and

Virginia will build partnerships between the Commonwealth and our great universities to create lab schools of excellence; and

Virginia will raise education standards to elevate students to high performing levels and reinstitute merit-based acceptance to Governor’s and magnet schools; and

Virginia will empower parents to make choices about the educational needs of their children.