1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Dear Honorable Congressman Rob Wittman, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the impact of the Trump administration's policies on education in the Greater Metro Richmond community. As a constituent, I am particularly troubled by recent federal funding cuts that threaten the vitality of crucial educational programs in our region. According to your website, you are a strong advocate for education. You have stated that "strengthening America's education system is important in fostering innovation and promoting economic security". You also emphasize the importance of preparing students for the demands of our current society. One program that has had a notably positive impact on our community is the VCU Teacher Residency program (RTR). * The RTR program prepares teachers for high-needs school settings in 16 partner school districts across Virginia. * Pre-service teachers, called residents, spend an entire school year working alongside a mentor teacher, gradually taking on more teaching responsibility. * In exchange for RTR paying for the VCU academic degree, residents agree to teach for three years in a high-needs school after graduation from the program. * The program has prepared over 300 teachers for high-needs schools in the past 13 years. * Many graduates have become school and district leaders and have received teaching awards. * RTR program graduates continue to receive support from career coaches for the first two years of their teaching career. * Schools that partner with RTR see a significant increase in teacher retention rates, with a reduction in turnover by up to 50%. * Over 85% of RTR graduates remain in high-need schools after their residency, demonstrating a deep commitment to the communities they serve. However, it has come to my attention that this program, along with others, has recently lost critical federal funding due to cuts made by the Trump administration. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that VCU's teacher residency program has lost most of a $9million federal grant. This loss of funding puts the program's future in question, threatening its ability to continue producing qualified teachers for hard-to-staff schools. The loss of this program could have long-lasting negative impacts on our community. Teachers who arrive ill-prepared are less likely to stay, costing the school division money when it has to continually recruit new faculty. Moreover, students learning from RTR teachers performed better than students at comparable schools whose non-RTR teachers had similar levels of experience. Given your stated commitment to education and your recognition of the importance of preparing students for the future, I urge you to take immediate action to address this critical issue. I look forward to your response and to seeing concrete action taken to protect and strengthen education in our community.