Virginia Capitol Connections Winter 2019

The Schools Students Deserve By Jim Livingston All children in Virginia deserve the best public school the Commonwealth can give them. But some of our students attend schools

with modern labs and courses in Russian or Chinese, while others go to classrooms outfitted with a single electrical outlet or substandard heating and cooling. The Virginia Education Association, which represents more than 40,000 public

school teachers, support professionals, and administrators, has been advocating for schools for more than 150 years. From compulsory attendance to teacher training to the institution of the Virginia Retirement System, VEA has helped to lead the fight for quality public education in the Commonwealth. This session, the VEA will be backing legislation that provides additional support for Virginia students. In the wake of too many school shootings, we’ll be supporting efforts to enhance school safety by bolstering threat assessment teams and adding additional counselors and other staff members in a position to enhance student success and prevent tragedies. We will also support legislation that implements, improves, and funds programs and staffing to counteract student behaviors that lead to suspensions and expulsions. State funding for Virginia public schools has declined 12 percent since the Great Recession in inflation-adjusted dollars, even as student enrollment has grown. As Virginia continues its recovery from recession, we believe substantial new investment is needed to equip our students to thrive in the workforce of tomorrow. We’re calling on legislators to fully fund the Standards of Quality approved by the Virginia Board of Education to more accurately measure the cost of quality education in the Commonwealth. We are seeking increased funding for at-risk students. VEA members in small and rural schools want the best for their students. But schools in Abingdon simply lack the resources to offer schools comparable to those in Arlington. So VEA will be supporting legislation that addresses inequities experienced in those areas. The Virginia Department of Education recently reported 1,000 teacher vacancies across the state—an indicator that we must do much more to ensure that teaching is a profession of choice and adequately compensated. The General Assembly is on the record as supporting the goal of liftingVirginia teacher salaries to the national average.We remain well short of that standard. Virginia ranks 34th in average teacher pay, with our professionals earning $9,218 under the national average. In 1990, Virginia was within $400 of the national average. Since then, the gap has grown. We’re trending in the wrong direction! VEA members report that low salaries are a leading cause of decisions to leave the classroom for higher-paying careers. Students deserve so much more than a revolving door of emergency-certified or long-term substitutes teaching them English or biology. To establish and maintain an excellent teaching force, the state must do its share and partner with local school divisions to ensure that we recruit and retain the very best professionals for our classrooms. We need a long-term plan and a long-term commitment. We can wait no longer. Jim Livingston, a middle school math teacher from Prince William County, has served as president of the Virginia Education Association since 2016. At press time, Governor Ralph Northam has announced that he will propose a number of school items as amendments to his proposed budget. These proposals, yet to be taken up by the legislature, include $268.7 Million in new money for K-12 education, and proposals to add school counselors and improve school safety.

hen it comes to events no one throws a party like David Napier.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , W inter 2019

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