Steve Frey
School communities in the New River Valley may be getting a wonderful Christmas present this year: an increase in funding. Governor Ralph Northam’s budget proposal includes increases for teacher salaries, at-risk students and school construction.
In his budget, $88 million would be spent to increase teacher pay from a previously proposed three percent to a five percent increase. We are not sure where State Senator Bill Stanley’s budget proposal to modernize schools will go. As you may recall, he recommended allocating an anticipated $300 million to $400 million revenue stream windfall from the tax on online sales to pay for about $4 billion in bonds for the program. (Northam’s building proposal is for only $80 million, which will not meet statewide needs.)
A couple of things seem pretty important. One is that the money supplied for salary increases must be recurring, not a one-time allocation. The state must plan to keep that same level of funding in the budget every year (actually rising with the cost of living) so that the burden does not fall on local school systems in the future.
The governor recognizes the discrepancy between the average salary for a teacher in Virginia, which was $51,049 in 2017, and the U.S. average of $59,660—an $8000 plus difference.
Let’s look a little closer. That same year the average salary for NRV divisions were as follows: Radford, $49,849; Montgomery County, $46,849; Pulaski, $39,006; Giles, $41,515 and Floyd, $46,479. All of these divisions are below the state average and significantly lagging the national average.
The problem of teacher flight is real for Virginia. Some districts around the country are using substitutes, even at this time of year, for unfilled positions. Teachers do have choices about where they will locate, and here are some nearby state averages they may find enticing: Maryland, $68,357; Pennsylvania, $66,265 and DC, $75,692.
There are, however, significant differences within Virginia, also. Keep in mind the U.S. average, the Virginia average and the local area averages above. Here are average salaries from Northern Virginia: Alexandria, $77,104; Falls Church, $76,021 and Arlington $79,542. Note that the average wage in Arlington is more than double Pulaski’s and about $30,000 higher than in Radford. Of course, the cost of living is greater, but nowhere near what accounts for the difference in salaries.
So teachers who grew up in Pulaski or Radford or go to college at Radford University or Virginia Tech have a difficult decision: Do they stay and teach in the NRV, or do they teach in Maryland or Arlington?
Governor Northam should look closely at that discrepancy in salaries within Virginia. Teachers in Arlington make about $20,000 more than the U.S. average and $28,000 more than the Virginia average. Do they need the 5 percent increase from the state? No, they obviously don’t. They have a local tax base that provides the opportunity to pay their teachers twice as much as Pulaski.
Why not consider increasing the state’s average teacher salary by dramatically raising the wages for those divisions below the U.S. average? Yes, give a 2 percent cost of living increase to some divisions, but provide the lagging divisions with a 7 or 8 percent increase.
If, and that is a big “if,” the state allocates funds for the $4 billion building program as proposed by Senator Stanley, the same thing should happen. That money should go to the divisions with the greatest need, not the divisions that just built a second multi-million dollar CTE center or multiple pools because they are “swimming” in local tax revenues. Create an allocation program that focuses on divisions that lack a sufficient tax base to meet building or other needs.
Everyone knows that an excellent school system with outstanding facilities and exemplary teachers who are receiving a professional salary will draw new people to an area. Businesses and industries do not want to relocate to a place that has mediocre or substandard schools. They want excellent school systems to use as a feeder system to generate well-educated and skilled employees. They also want their own children to attend those kinds of outstanding schools.
Governor Northam and the legislature should provide additional funding for areas like Southwest Virginia to bring salaries and facilities up to the national standard. Our divisions and municipalities will be competitive in attracting and retaining the best teachers anywhere who will have the opportunity to teach in 21st-century facilities.
Start working on division allocation systems for both salaries and building renovation programs NOW! This will take political will, so get any posturing out of the way and reach an agreement as soon as possible. Give municipalities/school divisions time to complete their budget processes efficiently.
By the way, school divisions and cities/counties should not plan on the proposed increases. If you have plans to renovate or build through bonding, keep them moving forward. You can always adjust later if you are pleasantly surprised by the state.
Radford Superintendent Rob Graham recently talked about the inequity among schools in Virginia at a school board meeting. The unfairness is real, but it can be addressed by the state now.
Just give schools and communities in Southwest Virginia a level playing field and watch our students excel—and communities prosper.
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.