Roadmap: Path to Progress

We believe Virginia needs an economy that works for us all, not just a few. Where every Virginian who works hard should be able to support their family and build a brighter future. Yet for all too many in our commonwealth, that opportunity is increasingly out of reach.

Despite rising productivity and education, wages for most Virginians have stagnated. Despite being among the richest states, the number of students per teacher in our schools has grown as the state turns its back on support for public K-12 education. Despite the need to invest in our skilled workers, Virginia makes it harder than nearly any other state for working age adults to get the care they need to stay healthy and productive. We can – and must – do better.

As elected officials and those running for public office engage with citizens during this election season, it’s important for everyone to understand the challenges and opportunities facing Virginia families and businesses and to think about the choices we face to create and sustain an economy that works for all.

Virginia should be a place where people can find work that pays enough to get ahead. A place that fosters broad-based prosperity and a thriving middle class to sustain our economy. A place that gives our children the best possible shot at success. Virginia should be a place where, no matter our circumstance, we all have an opportunity to not simply live, but thrive. For that to happen, our state needs to adopt these policies which invest in our people.

In our latest report, Roadmap: Path to Progress, we offer analysis of the state’s challenges, based on the key trends in our communities, and lay out policy solutions that invest in our people and spur lasting economic growth in the commonwealth.

That’s the Virginia we all want. And this is the way to get there.

–Joe Stanley, Director of Policy