Governor Ralph Northam is proposing a five-percent pay raise for teachers. It’s just one among a list of education priorities the Governor will present to lawmakers next week.
Governor Northam says Virginia is on solid financial ground, and it’s time to invest in public schools. During a press conference Tuesday he outlined proposals to spend more money on at-risk students and on school construction projects.
“Every child in the commonwealth should have access to a world class education. That can’t happen if Virginia’s unable to compete with other states on attracting and retaining the best teaching talent,” Northam said.
Teachers are already slated for a 3-percent pay raise next year, but Northam would like to bump that up to 5-percent. Keith Perrigan is superintendent in Bristol.
“Our teachers are among the lowest paid in southwest Virginia. Southwest Virginia teachers rank among the lowest in Virginia. And Virginia ranks among the lowest in the nation,” Perrigan said after the pres concerence. “And so it’s very easy to see why it would be hard for us to compete with salaries from Tennessee. Which, you know, Bristol is right on that state line. But North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia are not far apart either.”
Virginia’s Republican-controlled legislature gets its say on the budget when the General Assembly meets in January.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
