"Each year, taxpayers are compelled to invest in a government education system that is failing our children. This year, Virginia schools ranked dead last — 51st among 50 states and D.C. — in math recovery since the pandemic, and 41st in reading recovery. Only a government mandated monopoly could survive such a poor return on our investment. When competition is stifled, the consumer suffers. I am committed to fighting for school choice, which would force government schools to compete for the privilege of educating the next generation. Without the pressures of competition in education, parents are sometimes treated as outside irritants rather than patrons who might potentially go elsewhere if not satisfied with the service. Tax dollars are your dollars, and parents deserve to apply their dollars to an educational option that best serves the needs of their child."