Steve Frey
Well, they finally did it. Legislators in certain parts of the country have cut taxes or refused to raise them.
They’ve taken (some would say stolen.) contributions from pension funds to fund other parts of the budget.
They’ve used up any reserve funds they had. They’ve made one-time budget transfers without revenue to replace those transfers in the next year’s budget.
The result is that some teachers have not had a raise in 10 years. Some students have not had new textbooks to use since the 1980’s.
Some teachers are being told their pensions will be cut. Some school buildings are on the verge of being condemned because of the lack of maintenance. Some students and teachers do not even have internet service, let alone computers to use—in the 21st century. There are many more examples.
Myopic legislators, spurred on by the rallying cry of limiting government spending, have forgotten their civic duty and have destroyed the education systems and therefore the lives of the children they are responsible for educating.
So teachers, fed up with broken promises, the lack of funding, and a net salary that would rival the assistant at the local fast food joint have had enough.
They have been forced to do something they hate—leave their classrooms and children to protest.
West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky…the list of states that have had teachers go on strike, are on strike, or are threatening to strike is growing. The lack of proper budgeting and funding by various levels of government in those states and others is devastating education for the children living there, and teachers care about the children in their classes and their own families too much to accept the status quo any longer.
Teachers do not enter education to become part of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” They realize that they will not be paid the same as the CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, but being a teacher has meant receiving a good, middle-class salary on which one could live and raise a family. It provided a decent pension with which to retire someday.
Teachers go to college for four years to get a degree, and almost all go on to graduate school for advanced degrees. They have received a professional degree to obtain a professional position.
They work long hours during the school year both in the classroom and after school, with grading and preparation cutting into family time at night and on weekends. They spend their summers in professional development, coursework and even more planning for the next school year.
State and local governments have refused to pay for the education that the children in their communities deserve because they refuse to raise taxes or prioritize budgets so that schools get their fair share of the pie.
Some legislators let teacher salaries lag terribly behind other communities in the area, and they have a hard time attracting and retaining excellent teachers. Yet, it is the individual teacher who works with the students in the classroom who makes the most significant difference.
Administrators want the best teachers they can get. If your district, the NRV, or Virginia falls behind in salary and benefits, those teachers who can make that difference will look for jobs elsewhere.
Some states have not fully funded their state pension plans. They have slighted it for years with the idea that they will make it up at some time in the future.
The concept behind pensions is that you dedicate money right along to the fund, you reinvest interest and dividends, and the pension fund grows from year to year.
You may have an adverse stock market year, but properly invested, the overall fund will grow as today’s educators and local government contribute to fund pensions for retirees.
If you fail to contribute and invest, you will end up with the pension losing money or not growing enough capital to stay viable. Then you have a massive hole in the pension fund that takes much more money to fill than if contributions had been made right along.
An additional problem is that pensions are usually decided partly by the average of the top three years of salary. If teachers don’t get a raise for years, it hurts them not only during their teaching years but in retirement because of a lowered long-term salary.
Some city or county governments avoid raising taxes by shifting one-time budget transfers from one area to another. This technique is just postponing the inevitable because the following year that one-time allocation will need to be filled again, and the budget cost will be even higher.
The answer, of course, is to raise revenue from year to year to avoid creating these cataclysmic budget problems.
Critics often bemoan the fact that American students do not perform as well as some other countries on standardized tests. Legislators sometimes complain the loudest, but then they don’t fund the schools adequately.
Public schools and the children in them can do better than anyone anywhere if they are given a level playing field. However, if you give a teacher enormous class sizes; if special needs students do not receive necessary support; if you do not provide cutting-edge educational technology; if you do not have a regular system for the review and replacement of textbooks and other instructional materials; if you do not supply the resources to create a safe, secure environment and more (you get the picture.); education will be hurt.
In Southwest Virginia, perhaps some needed help is on the way with the new administration in Richmond. Governor Ralph Northam said last May, “Since I entered the Senate, I have fought for a dedicated revenue stream for teacher pay.
In order for us to attract and retain the best public educators, we need to pay them with the respect and prestige they deserve.
We simply cannot do this lagging behind the national average and being ranked 32nd in the country. I’m committed to providing every child with opportunity – no matter who they are or where they live, and that starts with providing teachers with the support and resources they need to deliver a quality education.”
If you steal money from pensions, you don’t have money for pensioners. If you fail to be fiscally responsible and raise taxes over time, you end up with substantial budget shortfalls.
If you don’t adequately fund schools, you destroy them. It is all about cause and effect.
Teachers are part of the noblest profession there is. They prepare our children for the rest of their lives academically, socially and emotionally. We must compensate them as professionals.
Legislators at all levels of government need to work together to find the funds to provide the finest education possible, so our children in Virginia have a legitimate chance to compete in the new economy with all of the other children around our country and the world.
If politicians refuse to support our teachers, school systems, and families by being fiscally responsible in providing for their educational needs, we should vote in new candidates who will. Our teachers and children deserve nothing less.
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.
