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Senate Democrats dig in to fight plan that would reduce teachers’ salaries
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Richmond (Map, News) - Leaders of Virginia’s Senate Democrats grew increasingly bellicose Wednesday in opposing the House’s plan to cut the state’s funding of teacher pay raises, promising to drag out budget negotiations if the provision isn’t killed.
Senate budget makers attacked the House plan as a “radical departure” from how the legislature traditionally funds basic education funding, dubbed Standards of Quality.
Under the House’s proposed budget, a new formula would progressively shrink the state’s share of funding for school support staff over the next two years and would expand to teacher salaries in the following two years.
“I’m prepared to stay here until December to make sure this never happens,” said Senate Majority Leader Richard “Dick” Saslaw at a Finance Committee meeting.
Currently, the General Assembly every two years factors in how much both the state and local governments pay for school staff pay raises when it determines an average salary and recalculates its contribution. Under the House’s plan, only the legislature’s salary increases would be used, which in effect would reduce pay raises.
Republicans accuse Senate Democrats of grandstanding and say the funding move would shield the commonwealth, which faces a shortfall of about $2 billion over the next three years, from having to approve pay increases above and beyond its control.
They also argue the House’s total contribution to education in the proposed budget is greater than the Senate’s, which Democrats dispute.
“If we approve a 10 percent pay raise over the biennium, we’ll reimburse at 10 percent,” said Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News. “But why should someone else that we have no control over require us [to pay more] — talk about an unfunded mandate.”
Neither side showed much sign of relenting Wednesday as the chambers prepared to enter a period of negotiation to create a single budget out of two contradictory spending plans.
After hearing a briefing on the education funding Wednesday morning, Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said she was “ready to fight now.”
“If this were to pass, it would be the single greatest blow to public education in my 16 years down here, and it shows how hollow some words are coming from the other body,” Howell said.
wflook@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:45 PM MST on Fri., Aug. 15, 2008 re: "Some DC teachers urge vote on pay proposal"
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10:45 AM MST on Thu., Aug. 14, 2008
re: "Some DC teachers urge vote on pay proposal"
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12:45 PM MST on Thu., Jul. 24, 2008
re: "Rhee's plan challenges seniority system"
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8:26 AM MST on Wed., Jul. 9, 2008
re: "Highest-paid teachers amazed by rising salaries"
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5:40 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 24, 2008
re: "Cashing in on the classroom"
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Examiner Reader said:
You are so right! The two parent families students will always make those teachers West of the Park look they can teach. Put those same teachers West of the Park in Wards 8, 7, 6, etc. and see if the students scores will allow the teachers to vote for the FAKE contract offered by Chancellor Rhee. They are NOT going to give up their seniority rights for some students who have demonstrated they may or may not make their AYP targets. A 3 day test verses my rights NO CONTEST!
31 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If you teach at a Ward 3 school this preposed contract does not place the teacher in harms way, however if you teach at a school OTHER than a Ward 3 you place yourself in a very precaurious position. VOTE NO if you don't teach in a WARD 3 - (West of the Park) DCPS school!
42 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Beware
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Examiner Reader said:
So can we finally stop farming out our children to labor in "car washes" and "candy drives" to raise money for this music club or that sports activity and so on...while we approve the next $300 million bond measure?
31 agree | 18 disagree
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Robin Ficker Broker Robin Realty said:
We have 1097 big pension administrators for 200 schools who are paid over $100.000 a year. Plus hundreds of "teachers," who do not teach students, but other teachers instead. We have plenty of fine universities in the D.C. area where teachers can earn advanced degrees and get continuing education. Emphasis should be on the classroom and on the playing fields of friendly strife not on "community coordinators" and developing a large health bureaucracy for neighborhoods in school buildings. Why not study the efficient use Utah makes of its schools. 4 rotating shifts of students, each of which does 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off for 12 month utilization of school buildings and personnel?
4 agree | 7 disagree
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