May 6, 2009

Danville, VA - Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Jon Bowerbank today visited Roanoke and Danville on his four-day, statewide Commonwealth Education Tour.  Jon toured a Head Start facility in Roanoke and the Danville Community College Workforce Services facilities in Danville.  He met with the organizations' staffs and discussed his recently released Education Plan.

In Roanoke, Jon discussed the importance of investing in early childhood education programs.

"Research shows that critical brain development occurs before a child is 5 years old, and that the education and instruction a child receives during that time affects his or her academic and social development for years to come.  Early childhood education does not just affect individual children - it also affects entire communities.  It reduces truancy and lowers unemployment and crime rates. There is no question that we need to invest in pre-k and early childhood education programs like TAP Head Start," Bowerbank said.

In Danville, Jon spoke about the role of community colleges and career training programs in growing Virginia's economy.

"In order to get Virginia's economy back on track, we need a skilled, trained workforce prepared to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow.  Investing in our community colleges is the best way to reach this goal.  Career and workforce training programs like the ones offered at Danville Community College are a vital part of the Commonwealth's economic recovery, and we must make sure that they and their students succeed," said Bowerbank.

The Education Tour coincides with the release of Bowerbank's Education Plan, a detailed 20 page plan to improve the Commonwealth's education system and prepare Virginia's youth for successful careers.  Each stop on the Tour will emphasize a different aspect of Jon's Education Plan, from improving our elementary and secondary education systems to doing everything we can to retain and attract high quality teachers to promoting after-school programs that keep youth off the streets to investing in our community colleges to making sure our universities' research facilities have the resources necessary to be leaders in their fields.  The plan can be viewed at www.jb2009.com.

Jon Bowerbank is the owner of a successful energy services company that employs hundreds of people in Virginia and throughout the country. He has also served as an operations manager in a Fortune 10 company in numerous states, and has both a business and technical background. He currently serves as the at-large member of the Russell County Board of Supervisors, and he is a member of the Virginia Association of Counties Finance and Transportation Committees.

Bowerbank has spent the last year traveling around Virginia spreading his message of change. As Lieutenant Governor, Jon will be committed to improving Virginia's infrastructure, investing in our schools and education programs, and using effective business practices to create jobs and transform Virginia's economy for a new energy future.