This first
report out on the House and Senate budget bills, which were reported from the
money committees today, is cursory in nature, and we will follow with a much
more thorough analysis in the days ahead.
I will address only the salary issue from the high level.
VEA
requested the state share of a 6% salary increase for SOQ funded teachers and support
personnel. Senator Chafin, Delegate
Plum, and Delegate Torian carried the amendments.
The Governor
included no salary increases in his budget amendments, but vowed to work with both
chambers to address the issue.
The Senate
reported its budget first, so I’ll start there. Here is the breakdown of salary increases:
- 3% for state employees, with a 2% base adjustment for targeted state positions with high turnover
- 3% for state supported local employees
- 2% for college faculty
- 1.5% for teachers and support personnel (10 months)
The disparity
in the raises offered certainly raises questions regarding the priority that
the Senate affords public school teachers – school employees got the short end
of the stick. This is one more reason to
come to Richmond on April 18th.
The House
salary increase breakdown is as follows:
- 1.5% for state employees, plus funding to address salary compression
- 2% for state supported local employees
- 2% for college faculty
- 1.5% for teachers and support personnel (11 months)
Certainly
the House is more equitable in its approach.
It would
take a 15.1% increase to raise Virginia’s teacher salary to the national
average.
