BY WESLEY P. HESTER

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Timothy M. Kaine today trotted out a new education and business-focused plan that builds on his campaign them of creating a “talent economy.”  

Kaine’s campaign says the “Investing in our Workers” initiative was built on more than a year of conversations with educators, business owners, students and others across the state.

The four components of the plan are: Ensuring each child receives personalized instruction, revitalizing science, technology, engineering, and math education, elevating the importance of career and technical education, and streamlining federal workforce development programs.

“I am confident that by pursuing educational and workforce development strategies, we can ensure every child has access to a first-rate education and every worker has access to training programs that will prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow,” Kaine said.

In conjunction with the release of the plan, the campaign also launched “Educators for Kaine,” a group of more than 140 education professionals supporting the former governor.

“As governor, Tim Kaine worked with a bipartisan coalition to invest in every aspect of Virginia’s education system and raise educational standards so our kids could receive a world-class education that would prepare them for college or the workforce,” said Jean Bankos, a former Virginia Education Association president. 

Allen’s campaign responded by bashing Kaine’s plan, saying the proposals “provide few new details or concepts for education solutions.”

Allen campaign spokeswoman Emily Davis said the plan was “little more than another attempt to rewrite his record of cutting education funding,” faulting Kaine “cuts to higher education that caused tuition increases of over 30 percent.”