RICHMOND, Va. — In a poll conducted by the Virginia Education Association, most Virginians say the state budget doesn’t adequately cover the needs of the state’s public schools or properly compensate teachers. The poll found that 66 percent of respondents feel that the current budget for public schools is not enough.
“The public is squarely behind the need to improve funding for our public schools,” said Meg Gruber, president of the VEA. “Members of the House and Senate deliberating the budget need to know that as it stands now, Virginia is 41st in the country on funding public schools.”
According to the latest “National Report Card” by the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University and the Education Law Center, teacher salaries and benefits make up the bulk of school budgets. The report said Virginia teachers are paid $6,700 below the national average. And according to the poll, residents of the commonwealth agree that teachers aren’t paid enough. That sentiment was expressed by:
- 66 percent of adults with children currently in public school
- 67 percent who have had children in public school in the past
- 65 percent who have never had children in public school
“When Rutgers University ranked all states on wage competitiveness of its teachers’ pay compared to other professionals, Virginia ranked worst in the country,” Gruber said.
The General Assembly is drafting a state budget for the next two years. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has proposed a $139 million appropriation to add 2,000 teachers to schools around the commonwealth. McAuliffe also is seeking a 2 percent pay increase for teachers, but Gruber says it’s not enough.
“The governor’s biennial budget has zero percent in the first year and 2 percent in the second. We believe that when it’s been six out of eight years for zero, we don’t need to see seven out of nine to be a zero,” Gruber said.
The VEA poll surveyed 600 Virginia adults between Jan. 4 and 7. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
By Brian Williams/Capital News Service
Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia’s community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.
