Howell Heads Up Strong Support for School Choice in Virginia

Virginia Delegate Algie Howell has been serving in the House of Delegates since 2004, but he’s been a supporter of educational options for Virginia’s families for much, much longer. And it's because Howell has been able to overcome educational inequalities in his own life that he wants to make sure that students from low-income families get a choice in their own educational environment. Says the Democratic member:

It's about "parental choice," empowering parents to make the best decisions for their children. Every parent wants the best for their child, especially when it comes to education. [School choice] helps parents do exactly that.

Representing parts of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, Howell is a former public school teacher and school board member, and a cosponsor of House Bill 321, which would create a corporate scholarship tax credit for students from low-income families to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

Why does Howell support the idea of being able to choose your own school?  Because when he was in high school, he couldn’t:

I wanted desperately to go to Holland High School. I was smart enough, I was ready and I knew it would provide the best opportunity for the kind of life I dreamed about.

But back then, like every other black child I knew, I was assigned by the school system to local "colored" schools, and high school was no different. I am a proud graduate of Nansemond County Training School, but sometimes I wonder what might have been had I been allowed to attend the better-equipped "white school."

Now, in his work as an elected official, Howell is committed to making sure that all children have access to a great education.