Stafford County Teacher Urges County to Put Education First
In an op-ed today in the Free Lance-Star, Loretta Lynn Miller urges Stafford County to put education first. Loretta is an English Teacher at Brooke Point High School. Here is the op-ed:
VIRGINIA IS NOT a poor state! The Census Bureau ranks Virginia ninth nationally in household income. And, according to Forbes magazine’s recently published list of the 25 richest localities in the U.S., Stafford County ranks No. 12. However, it ranks 87th within the state of Virginia in per-pupil spending. Teacher pay in Stafford averages approximately $800 less the state average, and 10 percent less than the national average.
What these statistics reveal is that for taxpayers in Stafford, education is not a priority. If we need to balance the budget, we need to pay for the important things like teacher experience, and check line items for areas to cut. If I’m short $500 from my monthly budget, I don’t cut it all from my grocery budget, I look to spread the burden across monthly expenditures, starting with nonessential items.
We, the teachers of Stafford County, are not asking for a raise. We are asking the School Board and the taxpayers to value education by rewarding and retaining experienced teachers. In reality, teachers are paid what they are worth in surrounding counties. Teachers are passionate about this issue, not out of greed but out of a desire to continue to provide quality educational service for your children.
What is education worth to you? Experience may not always equate to quality, but an experienced employee usually demonstrates a level of commitment and awareness that is unsurpassed in tough situations. The problem is that Stafford County does not want to reward experience.
In the corporate world, the foundation of success lies in the hiring and retention of well-qualified employees. While the cost of living continues to grow, teachers have careers that promise nothing more than a reward for experience. The demands on educators have increased exponentially in the areas of technology, student diversity, and student development, yet Stafford County shamefully ignores the hard work and expertise that it takes to meet these growing challenges.
Many of us have second and third jobs just so we can afford to live one to two counties away from the district in which we teach. Is it possible for a teacher to give students the quality of education they deserve when that teacher’s energy is split among two or three jobs?
We pay top dollar these days for the things we value–designer labels, entertainment, automobiles. Isn’t it time to value education, and start paying what it is worth? Why not reinstate the steps?
We all benefit from a quality education. Up to this point, the School Board and the residents of Stafford County have relied on teachers who continue to break their backs for sub-par pay because teachers value education above all else. However, when a community repeatedly demonstrates that it does not value education, that community should be prepared to receive only what it is willing to pay for. Teachers have been working in good faith for a long time, and it is time to compensate their loyalty.
Again, we are not asking for pay raises. We are asking that our experience be recognized. Unlike other professions, educators are not paid bonuses, nor can they negotiate their raises, but we used to be paid for our experience. Teachers, staff, and building administrators should not bear the brunt of this budget on their backs yet again. Our fear is that if you don’t find the money in the budget to pay us what we are worth, then you won’t find it at any time in the near future, either.
Do the hard work now by paying teachers what is owed to them and finding other areas to cut, even if you have to look at several categories, cutting a line here and there. It’s just too easy to take all of the budget difference from salaries. It is true that the intrinsic rewards of this profession are great. However, the demands for a quality education rise each year. In order to continue to meet these demands, the decision-makers need to face up to what they know to be the right thing–to value education, value Stafford students, and value loyalty.
Educators, notice the vote. Actively voice your concerns. No teacher wants less for any student, but many of us are now questioning why we continue to make sacrifices for someone else’s child. It is as much our responsibility to educate the public about the value of education as it is their responsibility to promise a quality education to their own children.
How can students respect teachers or administrators who are not respected within their community? What do you value? Experienced educators? We’re listening.
Loretta has made some extremely good points in this op-ed. I would add that teacher pay in Stafford is potentially must worse when compared to the state and national averages, when taking into account regional cost differences. I come from a family of educators and I can tell you that teachers will never ever get paid what they are worth. It isn’t all about money, but certainly the 12th richest county in the nation should be able to provide a fair wage that is at least at the national average.
I understand that times are tough and teachers have made enormous sacrifices for our children and our community. How many more sacrifices must we expect from them? Many of our “experienced” teachers have not received pay raises, have experienced tremendous rises in health care premiums and now the Republicans want them to take it on the chin again by reducing teachers take-home pay by as much as 5% to pay for steep cuts to the Virginia Retirement System. These steep cuts will result in severe future budget woes and potentially have to be paid for through future tax increases.
It’s time to show our teachers that we care and understand the huge sacrifices that they are making on behalf of our children. It is equally important that we elect folks that understand how important educators are in providing a quality education to our children!
[IMAGE via JOE AMON/FLS]