Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed the state fund salary increases for some school personnel, but school officials say localities would be footing most of the bill.
On Monday, McDonnell unveiled his proposed budget amendments to the 2012-2014 biennial budget. His education reforms include a call for $58.8 million to fund the state portion of a 2 percent pay increase for teachers and school personnel whose positions are funded through the Standards of Quality.
The Standards of Quality, or SOQs, are the minimum amount of programming school divisions must provide. Many divisions exceed the SOQ’s staffing requirements in order to have smaller class sizes or offer courses not required by the state. Those staff members would not be eligible for the potential state-funded raises.
To receive the state funding, school divisions would have to “match” with a local contribution. The amount of the local contribution would be based on its Local Composite Index, a score that determines a locality’s ability to pay for its schools, based on the true value of real property, the adjusted gross income and taxable retail sales.
If the General Assembly approves McDonnell’s proposal, York County Schools would receive a state share of $565,000 and would be expected to pay $384,000. But those funds would only provide salary increases for a portion of the division’s staff. Chief Financial Officer Dennis Jarrett said if the division wanted to extend the 2 percent raise to all of its employees, from bus drivers to administrators, it would cost the division approximately $1.5 million.
In Williamsburg-James City County Schools, the state share of the potential raises would be $360,000. If the division wanted to give a 2 percent increase to its entire staff, it would cost $1.7 million, according to Scott Burckbuchler, chief financial officer.
He said when the state offered similar salary increases for teachers in the past (the last was in December 2007), localities often expanded the increases.
Before the state funding for raises can become available, however, lawmakers have to agree on potentially divisive legislation. McDonnell stipulated the salary increases should be dependent on the passage of his Educator Fairness Act. The act would extend the probationary period for teachers from three years to five years before awarding teachers continuing contract status.
McDonnell characterized the change as allowing “for a much more thoughtful examination and development of those teachers being awarded continuing contract status.” The legislation would also provide a definition of incompetence to include one or more unsatisfactory performance evaluations and would define the relationship between evaluations and contracts. In addition, the Educator Fairness Act would streamline the grievance procedure to allow teachers to know the final outcome faster.
The Virginia Education Association is urging local school boards to pass resolutions in favor of continuing to award contract status to teachers after a three-year probationary period, and the local chapters have lobbied both the York and WJCC school boards for support in recent weeks.
As school divisions wait to see whether state funding will be available for salary increases, they must also consider how to address the increases required by the General Assembly of 2012. Last year, the General Assembly required existing government employees, including educators, to begin contributing to the Virginia Retirement System for the first time in more than 20 years.
To offset the new required contribution, localities and school boards were instructed to give matching salary increases. The state gave them two options: require 5 percent contributions and offset with 5 percent salary increases, or spread the increases in 1 percent increments over five years. Ultimately, localities gave slightly more than the recommended salary increases to avoid decreasing employees’ take-home pay.
Both WJCC and York County schools opted, in the first year, to require 1 percent contributions, offset by slightly higher salary increases. But this year, they’ll be faced once again with the decision of whether to fund the remaining 4 percent in one year or continue to spread the cost over the next four years. Whatever they decide, those increases will be unrelated to the salary increases proposed by the governor on Monday.
McDonnell’s proposed amendments provide a base for school divisions to begin preparing their budgets. His amendments will be debated by the House of Delegates and state Senate when the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 9.
