Governor Glenn Youngkin is about to enter his final year in office, and so he has only a few months to cement his legacy.
The governor was elected on a platform of running against a candidate who said parents should not be telling schools what they should teach. Now, three years later, how’s that turning out?
"I think he has an opportunity to be the education governor, and I think he's doing that," says former Republican Governor Jim Gilmore.
"He has established some promotion standards. They won't be implemented under his administration, but he's established some of those. And, I think that he’s emphasized parental empowerment."
During his final year in office, Youngkin is supporting almost $300 million in school construction. But what about higher education? Former Democratic Governor Doug Wilder says Youngkin doesn’t seem to be doing much with historically Black colleges and universities.
"As it relates to HBCUs, can you name anything that has been done relative to the governor's commitment to having been engaged and involved in broadening that capacity on those campuses? Can you name something? I can't," Wilder says.
Youngkin still has time to polish his legacy during his final General Assembly session, which starts next month.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
