Teachers at 20 schools in Stafford County have moved from the classrooms to the streets outside school hours.
FRANCISCO GONZALEZ/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
|
MyLine:Cover Story
Stafford teachers band together to protest school board decisions on wages
Date published: 6/3/2008
BY NINA GONZALEZ
Just last year, the Superintendent's Annual Report showed that Stafford County fell 28 percent below the state average in terms of local contributions to per-pupil expenditures. That same year, Forbes magazine named Stafford County the 11th richest county in the nation.
Though teachers and support staff in the county's schools have been hit hard by the financial situation, Stafford's school board has presented no solutions through the 2009 fiscal year.
Faced with rising gas prices, lack of materials and a 10 percent increase in monthly health insurance, teachers in the county recently have begun to embrace the "Work to the Rule" campaign.
THE CAMPAIGN
For the past few weeks, the teachers involved in the campaign have stuck straight to their contract hours, from 7:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. They avoid any voluntary tutoring or planning after school. Any after-school activities such as coaching or Standards of Learning tutoring do not apply because teachers are paid for those programs.
All Virginia counties use a step system for teacher pay. For each year of service, there is a 2 percent increase. What teachers are asking for is an incentive to stay--a cost-of-living raise to help combat the sagging economy.
"It has become too expensive to live here, and I think this movement is just a reflection of the times," said Brooke Point High School principal Cynthia Holder.
Not all teachers have gotten on board the "Work to the Rule" campaign. "I strongly support the campaign, but I just cannot do the 'Work to the Rule.' It does not work for me and what I need to do," said Stafford High School carpentry teacher Tim Phipps.
"I am at school until 7 p.m. regularly working on things that need to get done."
But with 20 of the 29 schools in Stafford County already participating, school administrators have certainly taken notice.
"I find that the campaign has been run very professionally," said Stafford Superintendent David E. Sawyer. "The budgets have already been planned out and if this had begun earlier, it may have come at a better time."
THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES
Organizers said that the campaign is the result of longstanding issues with the county's education funding.
Date published: 6/3/2008
Most recent reader comments:
Consider this...
(posted by
Valuable
, June 4, 2008 8:14 pm)
The others issues to consider are classroom supplies; teachers often supply paper, pencils, tape, magazines, and so on. This adds up, especially if you have 130+ students each day. Do you have to pay for supplies at your job...for you and 130+ others?
Not just Stafford
(posted by
BeachGirl
, June 3, 2008 8:55 pm)
The 2007 first year teacher salary in Spotsy was $35,700 and the salary for 2008-2009 is $36,593.
Many people think at 3:00 teachers are done. That just isn't true anymore. Most teachers take home work to do at night and on the weekends. In the summer we have workshops and classes that we must attend. The days of teachers leaving when the students leave and having their summers off just don't exist anymore.
Response
(posted by
Falmouth1
, June 3, 2008 10:23 am)
Teachers don't work a full year. 1st year associates w/ the degrees listed work much more than 40 hrs a week. This needs to be taken into acct. Not that I don't think that teachers should accorded a higher status in our society and paid more.
Starting Professional Salaries
(posted by
DeanFetterolf
, June 3, 2008 8:27 am)
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). collects information from colleges and businesses on starting salaries offered to new holders of bachelor’s degrees. Graduates with bachelors degrees in accounting ($45,656), economics ($45,112), and computer science ($51,305) all did extraordinarily well. Offers made by investment banking firms to new bachelors business grads averaged $53,277. What about our teachers? Aren't they just as valuable? New 2007 Stafford teachers salary was $36,322.
Per pupil expenditure
(posted by
DeanFetterolf
, June 3, 2008 8:12 am)
VA ranks 32nd in per pupil expenditure. According to State figures In 2007 Stafford's LOCAL fund contribution (from property taxes) was 28% below state average. School revenue comes from many sources not just Stafford tax coffers. In 2007 the school system total per pupil expenditure was $ 8,996 - 17% below the state average of $10854. Stafford taxpayers are getting a very good deal.
|
Star Directory
