Candidates go to the head of the class at VEA gubernatorial forum

The message was clear: “We’re going to get out our own message, no matter what.”

At least that’s what I heard Thursday night.

This message was the one that Virginia gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell, Creigh Deeds, Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran delivered throughout the evening, answering questions from Virginia Education Association president Kitty Boitnott on April 23, 2009.

The candidates even tried to answer some of Dr. Boitnott’s questions, too. (More on that soon.)

The candidates forum was the opening event at the 2009 Virginia Education Association representative assembly in Hampton. More than 800 elected members, including 14 from Culpeper, attended the convention.

Each candidate gave opening remarks and a closing statement and was provided with questions in advance. McDonnell, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, was interviewed by Boitnott one-on-one. The contested Democrats drew straws to see who spoke first and then each one rotated answering the questions.

Pretty much each candidate told the educators what they wanted to hear: our children deserve the best education we can offer them; and teachers are not paid enough and we must do something to raise the salaries.

When they each answered Boitnott’s questions, I must say that Bob McDonnell gets a gold star. He was able to stay on point much more and answered each one of the five questions more directly.

The three Democrats could have at least gotten an “E” for effort, but as the questioning progressed, they each swayed more toward their own message and away from the actual questions. We seemed to hear a lot about “Scholars for Service,” “Better Schools Better Jobs,” and other catchy titles for what they plan to do.

One question Moran, McAuliffe and Deeds was clear on was that they do not support taking state funds to support tuition tax credits or charter schools. (This is usually a touchy issue with VEA.) Collectively, the Democrats said Virginia already does not fund public education enough, so we should not dilute the funds or drain the system to divert funds to private schools.

McDonnell came out strong on claiming to want more funds for public education and that we should have the best schools in the nation, but he does support tuition tax credits, particularly for at-risk students. He also said there is a need to improve state laws regarding charter schools.

Among the candidates, there is the factor of the experienced businessman (McAuliffe) vs. experienced public service (all the other candidates). McAuliffe said he knows how to hire people and create jobs, which is something Virginia needs. Moran and Deeds both said they have the experience to lead, having served in government. McDonnell, too, reminded the assembly of his military service, his time in the legislature and that he served as attorney general.

McDonnell just has to worry about debating one of the opposing candidates. June 9 will be the Democratic primary. Deeds, McAuliffe and Moran each hopes to square off with McDonnell for the governor’s mansion and all rights and privileges contained therein.

The VEA will likely endorse one of the candidates, once each party’s nominee is finalized. Please understand, a Republican is just as likely to get an endorsement from the VEA as a Democrat — if that Republican’s platform is one that supports public education. The stance of the association is that the VEA is “issue-driven and party-blind.”

For the general voter (and teachers themselves), education is just one issue. There are many issues worth looking at aside from education: transportation, tourism, business development, law enforcement, the budget, etc.

It is in everyone’s best interest to examine each candidate carefully and make an informed decision as to who is the best man for the job of governor.

Walker’s column appears each Wednesday on the editorial page.