VEA on Conference Budget: “A Mixed Bag”
June 1, 2022
June 1, 2022
The state budget approved earlier today is the product of compromise, and it shows. While some provisions clearly benefit students and educators throughout the Commonwealth, such as the partial lifting of the support cap and raises for educators that includes bonus pay, other items will serve as an impediment to advancing the quality of public education in Virginia, such as the slashing of At-Risk funding for high poverty school divisions compared to the introduced budget.
“In a year when the Commonwealth is experiencing a budget surplus, Virginians expect, and deserve, better,” said Dr. James J. Fedderman, President of the Virginia Education Association (VEA). “While we welcome the positive changes made in this budget, we urge the Governor and legislators to continue working toward the shared goal of protecting and improving public education in Virginia for every child, particularly our students from households experiencing poverty.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers in Virginia earn 67 cents on the dollar compared to other (non-teacher) college-educated workers. Virginia’s teacher wage penalty is the worst in the nation.
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