Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up. And if you’re a fan, please forward to three friends who need to know what’s going on in the Commonwealth and tell them to subscribe here. 

But First…

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an undocumented immigrant? We spoke to a DACA recipient to find out what it really means to be undocumented.

5 Things you need to know today

1. Virginia’s education system would benefit from diversifying its workforce, report says – A new report from the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis found that diversifying Virginia’s pool of teachers could help reduce dropout rates, reduce chronic absenteeism and increase college enrollment rates among minority students. The report indicates that over 75% of licensed Virginia teachers self-report as white, 11% as black, and 3% as Hispanic. Conversely, less than half of Virginia students are identified as white, 22% are identified as black, and 16% are identified as Hispanic. – The Half-Sheet
   
   
2. Republicans renominate Del. Nick Freitas for his own seat – A Republican committee renominated Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) as a candidate for his own seat in the House of Delegates less than a week after Freitas withdrew his candidacy. Freitas faced disqualification from the ballot, but opted to withdraw instead, allowing the GOP to replace him as a nominee. They opted to replace him with himself. Now, the State Board of Elections must now decide whether to affirm Freitas’ nomination, with the matter likely to wind up in court, either way. – The Richmond Times-Dispatch
   
   
3. Gov. Northam to shift $1.5 million to ensure Census counts every Virginian -Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Tuesday that he will use $1.5 million from the economic contingency fund on census resources to ensure that Virginia’s population is not under counted in the upcoming Census. His announcement comes after Republicans in the General Assembly Senate rejected his request to fund $1.5 million for outreach. Northam aims to avoid an undercount, which could cost Virginia tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for dozens of programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. – The Virginian-Pilot
   
   
4. Virginia Democrats go on offense against Speaker Kirk Cox and Del. Chris Jones – Virginia House Democrats announced on Tuesday that they will spend $90,000 on digital ads targeting Speaker of the House Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) and Del. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk) focused on healthcare and their “consistent opposition to the Affordable Care Act.” The ads will also introduce voters to Sheila Bynum-Coleman, Cox’s opponent, and Clint Jenkins, Jones’ opponent. – Richmond Times-Dispatch
   
   
5. Gloucester County School Board denies it violated Gavin Grimm’s rights – A lawyer for the Gloucester County School Board argued in federal court on Tuesday that Gavin Grimm, the transgender man who sued the school board after being banned from using boys bathrooms in high school, remains a female and that the school division did not violate his rights. Attorney David Corrigan said it doesn’t matter that Grimm obtained a birth certificate declaring his sex is male, or that he underwent surgery and hormone therapy, because the school board still considers him a woman. – Associated Press

From the Gram