Virginia teachers on Gov. Northam budget proposal

The following joint statement was issued by Norfolk Federation of Teachers President Tom Calhoun, Hampton Federation of Teachers President Jeion Ward and Fairfax County Federation of Teachers President Tina Williams on Gov. Ralph Northam’s 2018-2020 biennial budget proposal.

“Educators across the Commonwealth of Virginia have a champion in Gov. Northam, and this budget proposal shows he’s ready to invest in kids and make our public schools places parents want to send their kids and teachers want to work.

“Virginia has been spending a billion dollars less on public education than it spent prior to the recession. This proposal is an effort to move us in the right direction to make our schools safer, improve supports for our kids and help retain teachers. It provides resources for our students’ social and emotional well-being, including school counselors, school resource officer training, and funding focused on college or career educational guidance and affordability. It also gives Virginia’s teachers the resources they need to actually teach, helping to reduce class size and increase their wages so we can keep good teachers in the classroom without them having to take on second and third jobs to pay their bills.

“While Virginia is the eighth-wealthiest state in the nation, we still rank 43rd in public education spending. This budget is a down payment on the needs of our public school system, and we look forward to working with Gov. Northam to find even more ways to invest in the future of every kid in Virginia.”