In 2020, Del. Eileen Filler-Corn became the first woman and first Jewish speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. This week, the retiring delegate’s portrait will join those of the many men who previously held the position over its nearly centuries-spanning history.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Virginia’s policies should be a “playbook for education” on a national level, but educators, legislators, activists, and even students in Virginia who watched the town hall didn’t think that was the case.
Education is a hot topic in the commonwealth, so Dogwood sat down with Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg to discuss the issue–not just from a legislator’s perspective, but from an actual teacher’s point of view.
Since Youngkin took office in January 2022 after building his campaign on attacking the state’s public education system, he’s made a multitude of questionable decisions involving schools in Virginia.
“I am still just shining from the power that we had,” said 17-year-old Abby Garber. She and other youth activists helped bring down a bill aiming to pay teens under 18 less than minimum wage.
Democrats in the Virginia Senate passed several gun safety bills, while Republicans in the House of Delegates passed their own set of bills aimed at making it easier to obtain and carry firearms.