Pay now or pay later - Teachers in Fairfax County have been asked to “do more with less” for years.
Posted by:
Ms. Crabapple
()
Date: June 07, 2013 06:31AM
Teachers in Fairfax County have been asked to “do more with less” for years.
Since 2008, Fairfax teachers have seen their paychecks rise on just two occasions. During that same span, most were asked to teach larger classes and work longer hours for which they didn’t receive comp time or overtime pay.
Given all that, we were surprised that teacher compensation was among the School Board’s most divisive issues in getting a $2.4 billion budget passed last week. While concerns about cutting maintenance funds and scaling back academic programs are legitimate, so is the prospect of losing talented, cash-strapped teachers to neighboring counties and states that already view Fairfax as fertile recruiting territory.
The vast majority of teachers don’t enter the profession to get wealthy — most are more concerned about issues related to autonomy, teaching conditions, and parental and administrative support — but they do want to be adequately compensated.
Fairfax County is among the most expensive places to live in the U.S. A $45,000 salary doesn’t last long when you’re renting a $1,600 apartment in Chantilly, shelling out $15 for a take-out dinner or spending $9 in gas and tolls just to get to your classroom.
It’s also worth noting that many of families and corporations decide to come here due to the gold-plated reputation of our 180,000-student school system. Maintaining that reputation — especially in tight economic times — is a difficult task that requires School Board members to continually pick Peter’s pocket to pay Paul.
After all, there are thousands of computers to upgrade, hundreds of industrial-sized heating units to maintain and dozens of roofs to replace. There are also academic programs to expand and ball fields to mow. With dozens of schools across the county fast-approaching their 60th year, the school system’s “to-do” list will grow in coming years and tough decisions will become even more difficult.
That said, none of those gaps should be closed on the backs of teachers who have been at the front of Fairfax County’s fiscal firing line for nearly a decade.
Fairfax County needs to find a way to pay teachers, or they’re going to lose their brightest stars. There’s also the matter of passing up a one-time, $6.3 million boost in state funding that Fairfax will get to help finance the raise, which is slated to go into effect next January and cost the school system approximately $22 million.
While that’s big number, it’s an investment that needs to be made to retain our best talent and preserve Fairfax County’s place as one of the top places to educate children.
We can pay now or pay a whole lot more later.