There is an often told story embedded in the policies and
public statements of Virginia about teachers and employees of schools; so
embedded that many people act as though it is true.
It goes something like
this.
Virginia is not like “those other” states.
Things may be hard here, but they are not so bad for you individually.
After all you are surviving even if barely.
Besides,
As an educator or employee you cannot make a difference by speaking up
or taking action,
and if you try there will be retribution.
It is selfish to ask for more money.
It will hurt your school, and your students, if you
dare to speak up publicly, about the
punishing policies, the work over loads, the crumbling
building or unsafe trailer, or the lack
of resources.
It is greedy to ask for more money, your neighbors “give” you your
salary. You cannot ask them to
“give” you more.
In reality-
Virginia’s
funding for schools is even worse than many of those “other states” And
localities have to fight most years to figure out whether to cut services or
raise taxes because the state doesn’t fulfill its constitutional responsibility
to provide adequate schools.
In Virginia
educators are paid $9000+ below the national average, even though the cost of
living here and income of other professions is above the national average. Quite simply, Educators in Virginia are not
paid competitive or comparable wages for the work they do. And general schools employees
are not paid a living wage.
Even
the increase in funding the Governor recently proposed (which some in the
legislature have pledged to defeat) won’t get school funding to national
averages- if we can get it passed. It will take two more budget cycles of
larger increases to get close to restoring funding to 2008 levels.
But here is the really important part
What you
do can change everything.
Your
actions can make the difference.
In states where educators and
employees have banded together salaries become higher, class sizes grow smaller
making lighter work loads, and there are protections from the retributions we
fear.
Make it
Personal- Simply by Taking A Day
January 28,
2019
At 11:00
a.m.
March in
RedforEd
From Monroe
Park
to the
steps of the State Capitol
with your colleagues
and parents from your community
to tell them our
schools are in distress and must be fully funded.
There are 120,000 educators and employees in Virginia’s public
schools. If even one fourth of us show
up at the Capitol demanding fair and equitable school funding, it will be historic. If half of us March, Richmond cannot hold the
size and power of the message. If we all
come, no one can deny us.
March for your School!
March
for your Colleagues!
March for Your
professional dignity!
March for your
Students’ futures!
