Friend,

The academic impact of pandemic school closures has been well-documented, and it’s stark. As I reiterated this morning at John Marshall High School for the first day of school, education is the great equalizer. Which is why if learning loss is not addressed quickly, it has the potential to be the most inequitable consequence of the pandemic.

I’m calling on politicians, policy makers, and community leaders to take action now. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was right when he said, “the collective shrug from both parties is a disgrace.” As I explain in my op-ed, which you can read here, there are solutions to this crisis which can be implemented across the commonwealth immediately. We have a duty to prepare our kids to succeed, and a HUGE part of that is providing consistent access to quality education.

There are many losses that cannot be recovered. Time in a classroom is not one of them.

As championed by RPS Superintendent Kamras and me, adding more school days to the calendar right now is a start. And that means allocating more resources and funding for teachers and schools.

Leaders across the commonwealth must rise to the challenge before it’s too late. It’s time to step up and fund the true cost of education. Please read more about the evidence-based solutions I propose in my op-ed here.

Thank you!

Levar Stoney

Mayor of Richmond