Let’s Talk Schools Warren County

I have always been an advocate for our schools—and especially for our teachers. Teachers play a crucial role in the development of our next generations. If we want to remain a strong and leading country, then we need strong educational development throughout the K–12 years. The same holds true for our county.

Yes, not all of our kids and grandkids will stay here—some will venture off and make their marks elsewhere—but for those who do remain, we want to give them the best opportunity for success. A significant part of that comes from our education system.

It’s painful to see the school budget flat-funded year after year. It’s painful to see us losing 5-star teachers and administrators to surrounding counties or Northern Virginia. My wife now works in the school system, so we’re seeing and hearing more than we did before. I don’t blame them for leaving—I completely understand. It’s hard to keep saying no to better offers.

5-star teachers are incredible, but they do much more than just teach. They are also mentors and leaders within the school system, helping to guide and develop new and growing educators.

So how do we keep them? The easy answer is more money. But that’s money we currently don’t have. It’s also about the small things that add up—like simply offering free bottled water, just one example of many small gestures that can improve the quality of life for our teachers and administrators.

But at the core of all of this is funding. Everything costs money. That’s why I am pushing so hard for stronger and more focused economic development. We must grow the tax revenue base for local government. That’s how we grow the funding available for our school budgets.

We must prioritize tourism, as it’s something we can grow far more quickly than other sectors. We must also make it easier for light manufacturing to enter the northern corridor.

Did you know that when tourism grows, school funding grows in multiple ways? That’s right—sales tax, lodging tax, and meals tax all increase. Three-fifths of the lodging tax must go back into tourism, but the remainder goes into the general fund. Sales tax goes into the general fund. Meals tax is supposed to go directly to school capital projects. (Although it seems we veered off course on that a few years ago—we need to correct that.)

Any increase to the general fund is an opportunity to allocate more toward schools and other critical services.

A fully diversified economic development platform isn’t a luxury—it’s a must-have. It's essential for every department in our local government.