PLP's Block Co-Authors Commentary in RTD

The Sunday January 13 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch includes this article—Build Stronger Schools or Face More Prisons—co-authored by Andy Block of Charlottesville, a graduate of the Political Leaders Program Class of 2006.

Our political leaders should continue to honor Virginia's civil rights legacy by funding an educational system that meets the needs of all of our students, including those same children of color for whom so many fought so hard -- and many of whom still grow up in poverty in communities across the commonwealth...Indeed, a recent study published in the American Economic Review found that a one percent increase in school completion rates can reduce violent crime by 30 percent, motor vehicle theft by 20 percent, arson by 13 percent, and burglary and larceny by about 6 percent. Put another way, for every child who fails to finish high school, the odds go up dramatically that we might one day need a prison bed. So our policymakers face a tradeoff: Build stronger schools for the children or build more prisons for the adults. Virginia legislators need to take the lead in addressing this vital issue.

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