VA Gov. Youngkin Slams Fairfax County Schools for Spending $450k on “Equity Coach,” Withholding National Merit Recognitions From Students

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), criticized Fairfax County Public Schools’ $450,000 expenditure on an equity coach, withholding national merit recognitions for students. WJLA-TV reported Sunday.

What is the background of this?

Last month Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThe nation’s highest-ranked high school was accused of deliberately withholding academic awards notification to students in the name of “equity.”

WJLA reported that since then seven Fairfax County high school have admitted to not giving students notification of awards in time to allow them to apply for college scholarships or admissions deadlines.

25% of the high school students in the county attend the seven schools.

Fairfax County Public Schools said that the error affected students who had received commended student awards through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. To correct the error, the district emailed the colleges that the students applied to and called them.

Last week, Jason Miyares, Attorney General launched an investigation into the district.

Reaction from Governor

Youngkin stated to WJLA, that the district’s decision not to make award announcements has cost scholarships opportunities for children.

“It impacts their ability to apply to college for scholarships, and in this idea of a golden ticket, as it is called, was withheld from them, and it seems to have been withheld from them for the purpose of not wanting to make people feel bad who didn’t achieve it. And all of a sudden, we see it spreading around to the rest of Fairfax County,” Youngkin stated.

Youngkin burned Dr. Michelle Reid as the district’s superintendent for spending taxpayer money on equity consultants.

“The reality is that we have a superintendent in Fairfax schools who has explicitly stated that her top objective is equal outcomes for all students, regardless of the price,” Youngkin said.

“Now we know the price includes paying $450,000 to a liberal consultant to come in and teach the administrators in Fairfax County how to do this,” He concluded. “What it appears happened is that principals in schools decided that they were going to systematically withhold accolades and a path to college admission and scholarships from high-performing students.”

Reid claimed that Reid had met with Reid personally. parents to hear their concerns and assure them that the district was still conducting its internal investigation.

“How you pay for college can be as stressful as getting into college,” WJLA: AG Miyares “The idea that sometimes these are $90,000-$100,000 plus benefits of scholarships that were never going to be told that these students are eligible to apply for. That’s wrong.”

Youngkin says that the district has “a maniacal focus on equal outcomes for all students at all costs.”

“And at the heart of the American dream is excelling, is advancing, is stretching and recognizing that we have students that have different capabilities,” Youngkin said. “Some students have the ability to perform at one level, others need more help, and we have to allow students to run as fast as they can to dream the biggest dreams they can possibly dream and then go get them.”

Youngkin stated that Virginia’s education system needs to be improved.

“This overarching effort for equal outcomes is hurting Virginia’s children and it’s hurting, even worse, the children that they aspire to help — children in the black community and children in the Hispanic community and children who are in the socio-economically challenged community and Virginia’s kids with disabilities,” Youngkin explained. “They have in fact suffered even more.”

Virginia Democrats have opposed the AG’s investigation into the district, including Senator Scott Surovell, (D), who called the probe a “reporting scandal”. “fake investigation.”

Don Scott (D), House Minority Leader, accused the AG fueling a “fake controversy that in no way impact educational outcomes in schools.”

Youngkin responded to the Democrats’ criticisms.

“That’s the exact same thing they said last year when we called for an investigation in Loudoun County around the sexual assault of young women and what appeared to be the cover-up of that, and after a grand jury found that in fact, it had been a cover-up,” Youngkin said. “And then officials were indicted and subsequently fired. The reality of where we stand in the light of truth, versus political posturing, comes full circle. And here we are again.”

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