Virginia Education Association 2015 Legislative Agenda

The VEA Board of Directors has approved the following legislative agenda for the 2015 session of the Virginia General Assembly.

Amongst the issues set to be discussed at January’s General Assembly, the VEA Board of Directors has approved two that can greatly impact the profession:

Education vs. Incarceration
Virginia ranks 39th in state per-pupil funding, pre-K-12; however, our state ranks 13th in state corrections expenditures per offender. Is this an accurate reflection of our priorities? Sensible sentencing reform could reduce costs associated with incarceration and free up funding for our schools.

State funding for a 6% salary increase
The Commonwealth must take action to attract and retain high-quality school personnel. Virginia is the 9th wealthiest state, yet our teacher salary ranks 37th. Our average teacher salary is $7,456 below the national average. We must do better if our students are to continue to have highly qualified teachers. State funding is critical to the ability of localities to make salaries of Virginia school employees more competitive.

http://www.veanea.org/home/2403.htm