Thoughts on the state of our schools? GIVE INPUT
MY PLATFORM
Making our schools as safe as possible is paramount. Nobody should have to worry about the security of our students and staff.
Let's face the fact that we cannot add metal detectors to every school. It's just not economically feasible. But what we could do is build a pair of portable metal-detector trucks with 4 metal detectors in each that could be used randomly every morning and at after-school activities. This would come at a fraction of the cost of adding permanent systems to every school and have great results. We also need to work hand-in-hand with the VBPD and VBSO to ensure access to their very effective SROs.
I'm a strong supporter of the trades as a solid future. I will ensure we provide vocational education opportunities with real-world value from the moment of graduation.
Just fifteen years ago I was earning a living as a welder and blacksmith. Creating with my hands was rewarding. My goal is to develop programs that graduate vocational students as licensed trade apprentices. For example, an electrician apprentice's salary in Virginia is around $52,000. Four years of experience later they can become a Journeyman earning around $75,000 in Virginia. They would earn $150-200k during those four apprentice years with zero college loan debt on their shoulders. That is a solid career path. I will certainly also promote college prep pathways, but I don't assume collegiate paths are for all students.
We must move more of our educational dollars into the classroom and reduce administrative costs.
We do have some outdated schools in need of replacement and rehabilitation and I'll get that moving while on the School Board. However, having architectural award-winning glass-enveloped buildings does not improve education. We also need to stabilize VBCPS's systems to eliminate the costs associated with constant change and retraining of teachers.
Let's solidify that parents, students, and VBCPS are teammates in education.
We must acknowledge that our teachers do the bulk of the work and thank them for it. Parents do have the right to raise their children under the umbrella of ethics, morals, and cultural beliefs of their choosing. Thus, they have the right to be involved in, and completely informed about, their children's education.
ABOUT VINCENT
As an engineer, it is in my nature to see inefficiencies and inconsistencies. I have studied VBCPS Schools for years now and I know they are great schools. But we can make them better. Let’s move away from overpriced construction and use those savings to give our students even better educational opportunities. I'll use my decades of government construction experience to get the most out of your capital construction tax dollars.
We do have some outdated schools in need of replacement and rehabilitation and I’ll get that moving while on the School Board. However, having architectural award-winning glass-enveloped buildings does not improve education. What we need is a policy that standardizes the design of our schools. This minimizes design costs, reduces construction costs, and creates significant operation and maintenance efficiencies. Had this been policy decades ago, our building maintenance staff would not have to learn 86 different school building layouts and systems and our capital infrastructure would be in better shape.
EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE
- 20+ years focused on project delivery and management of capital construction quality
- 10+ years of experience managing municipal budgets
TRADE EXPERIENCE
- 10+ years of experience in working trades
- Licensed professional engineer
- Virginia Class-A licensed contractor CQI
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
- Former owner of a successful business
- Member of Mensa
- Alumni of VPI, ETSU, NVCC, VHCC, GCC, & ODU
- High-level critical thinker and problem solver