Press Releases

Goodlatte Meets With 6th District School Superintendents

Washington, DC: On Monday Congressman Bob Goodlatte met with school superintendents from across the 6th Congressional District.  The meeting, which took place in Staunton, was an opportunity for Congressman Goodlatte to brief the local school superintendents on federal legislation and its effects on our area schools and to hear directly from these education leaders regarding their schools.

Congressman Goodlatte pledged to work with the area educators to ensure that they have equal access to any funding from the ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’.  While Congressman Goodlatte disagrees with the approach the legislation takes and believes it is not the most effective way to create jobs and rekindle our economy, he assured the school Superintendents that he will work to ensure that the funding reaches those areas that need it most, including areas in the 6th District.
Additionally, Congressman Goodlatte discussed the issue of state flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  Congressman Goodlatte believes that the basic goals of NCLB are good but he continues to believe that it is important to provide more flexibility and decision-making power to the individual states, parents and teachers.  Congressman Goodlatte, who has previously introduced legislation on this important issue, assured the local educators that he will continue his efforts to ensure that states like Virginia which already set a high standard under state law through the Standards of Learning (SOL) are not penalized for failing to implement a duplicate set of Federal standards. 

“Every child deserves the opportunity for a bright future by giving him or her the best education possible,” said Congressman Goodlatte.  “Real learning occurs when students are in the classroom with quality teachers and it occurs at home with the family – not in a federal building in Washington, D.C.  I intend to continue my efforts to put the ability to make educational decisions in the hands of parents and teachers, and send education dollars directly to America’s classrooms.  Then we will truly have the finest education system in the world.”

In attendance at the meeting were the following school superintendents: Bob Grimesey of Alleghany County, Donald Ford of Harrisonburg City, Daniel Lyons of Lexington City, Eddie Graham of Covington City, John Reynolds of Rockbridge County, Alan Seibert of Salem City, David Smith of Bath County, Gary McQuain of Augusta County, Keith Rowland of Shenandoah County, Lorraine Lange of Roanoke County, Brian Ratliff of Amherst County, Rebecca Gates of Buena Vista City, James Blevins of Bedford County, Robin Crowder of Waynesboro City, and Tony Brads of Botetourt County.