RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) \u2014 On Monday, gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin unveiled his first major policy proposals, in a \u201cday one\u201d plan that covers tax cuts, charter schools, police pay and school mask mandates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At an indoor event in Northern Virginia, Youngkin spoke to a crowd of supporters about his vision for the commonwealth, drawing cheers from the crowd on topics such as sweeping proposed tax cuts and a plan to ban critical race theory in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youngkin\u2019s proposals for education touched on a number of topics that will impact Virginia school systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youngkin said he supported a plan,\u00a0implemented by the Northam administration this year, to require schools to offer five days of in-person instruction across the state \u2013 signaling a return to normalcy for students who\u00a0experienced learning losses\u00a0during school closures last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he broke with the Northam administration on the issue of mask mandates, saying the decision to use masks or any other COVID mitigation measures\u00a0should be left to parents. He indicated he would reverse the governor\u2019s policy of requiring local schools to\u00a0comply with CDC guidelines, and said the governor has \u201cceded control of the classrooms to teachers unions.\u201dYear of pandemic schooling reflected in SOL test data, pass rates decreased in most local schools\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That campaign promise comes even as the latest surge in COVID cases has\u00a0disproportionately affected children\u00a0\u2013 infecting them at higher rates and increasing their rate of hospitalization. That\u2019s partly because children under the age of 12 aren\u2019t yet eligible to be vaccinated, and daily case numbers among 0-9 year-olds have already passed last January\u2019s peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youngkin also said he would ban critical race theory in classrooms, a popular rallying cry among conservative groups in recent months. Youngkin\u2019s opponent, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, has decried concerns over critical race theory as a \u201cright-wing conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to school funding itself, Youngkin\u2019s plans are a bit more complicated. Youngkin said he would introduce a proposal to freeze property tax payments \u2013 the main funding mechanisms localities use to pay for schools \u2013 at current levels, meaning homeowners would pay the same dollar amount in property taxes unless a local referendum is held to increase them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In effect, that would mean local revenues would decline each year due to inflation unless a referendum is passed to maintain the tax rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReal estate taxes have escalated at an extraordinary rate, and there\u2019s no check and balance,\u201d Youngkin said, framing the policy as an issue of popular control. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna give a voice to the people, instead of these \u2018in the dark of the night\u2019 increases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if localities don\u2019t manage to pass referendums to maintain or increase property tax funding, Youngkin told 8News they might have to employ \u201cfiscal discipline.\u201dChild hospitalization rates increasing in Virginia as students return to classroom, data shows\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youngkin also proposed opening 20 new charter schools across the commonwealth, and told 8News the construction wouldn\u2019t place a burden on localities, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna use money from the [American Rescue Plan Act] program to make these investments out of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charter schools are a controversial mixture of public funding and private partnerships, which advocates claim bring innovative methods to backwards public systems, but which critics say are a drain on scarce public funds with no consistent standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charter schools in Virginia do\u00a0draw funds from local coffers\u00a0because they enroll the same students who would otherwise attend nearby public schools.General Assembly approves COVID relief deal with changes to DMV service, athlete NIL, deputy bonuses\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While upfront costs under Youngkin\u2019s plan would be shouldered by the state and federal government, when pressed by 8News on whether upkeep costs would fall on localities or be supported by the state, Youngkin didn\u2019t give a direct answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, Youngkin said, \u201cTo be very clear, we\u2019re gonna invest more in education in our budget than has ever been invested in education. We\u2019re gonna get these charter schools going without putting a burden on local school budgets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He did not specify whether upkeep costs would fall to local school divisions once the charter schools are established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement following Youngkin\u2019s announcement, the McAuliffe campaign said, \u201cAll of Glenn Youngkin\u2019s Trumpian tax plans have one thing in common: they would lead to drastic cuts to public education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to taxes, Youngkin\u2019s stance is clear-cut whenever possible. Youngkin wants to eliminate Virginia\u2019s grocery tax \u2013 a 2.5% levy on food and personal hygiene products \u2013 suspend an increase in the gas tax, offer a tax rebate to all filers, and double the current individual income tax deduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All in all, that would mean billions in tax cuts \u2013 some of it going directly to Virginians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVirginians deserve this,\u201d Youngkin said. \u201cThere was a $2.6 billion surplus last year because the liberals in Richmond over-taxed Virginians by $2.6 billion dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But some of that relief would be temporary \u2013 Youngkin said he would reinstate the gas tax at its current rate after a year, calling it an \u201cappropriate investment in our road infrastructure.\u201dNorfolk proposes offering up to $12k bonuses to retain police officers\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Youngkin also said he would raise pay for state police, local sheriff\u2019s office employees, and correctional officers. Campaign staff told reporters at least some of the burden for the pay increase in sheriff\u2019s offices would fall on localities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Echoing national GOP rhetoric, Youngkin said he wouldn\u2019t be the \u201cdefund the police\u201d candidate \u2013 but his proposal on officer pay mirrors one\u00a0included by the Northam administration\u00a0in their budget earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — On Monday, gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin unveiled his first major policy