Join us as we discussed the changing the narrative for public schools.

We The People For Education (WTPFE) wants to return local school districts’ focus to its students and tamp down on the extreme rhetoric pushed by some activists and elected officials. They’re tired of efforts like book bans that both target specific groups of people and can divide their local communities.

Tiffany Van Der Hyde, the group’s executive director, will speak to us and share the message they want to convey to people across the commonwealth, from Southwest Virginia to the Eastern Shore, and everywhere in between.

The organization wants to work with communities statewide to get people more involved with their local school boards and to help support candidates who support their mission.

“We understand that the problems we want to fix and the people we want to be able to reach out and support and help in this effort are from Roanoke to Virginia Beach to Fairfax to Harrisonburg and Rockingham; they’re everywhere,” said Van Der Hyde.

In Virginia, pretty much every locality has some sort of school board race coming up this year.

“I think as far as where people should pay attention, it’s their own backyard; it’s their own neighborhood school, school board races, it’s who’s at the end of your ballot,” she said. “Whether it’s you running…whether it’s starting a group of like-minded parents, or supporting another local entity who’s really focused on sound policy and student mental health, and supporting our teachers…I think there’s something in every community to be done right now,” she said.

We the People for Education is a non-partisan 501c4 focused on supporting and empowering pro-public education leadership in all of Virginia’s communities.