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Have you ever just wanted to go up to the top of a mountain and scream,

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????”

When I listen to state legislators callously calling for reductions in state support for public school education with the same emotion as they would use to pass a junked car ordinance, I’m deeply saddened. Unfortunately, we live today in that state. Education has passed from the world of savvy investment to the world of over-cooked commodity. In a floundering economy, we, public school educators, possess the large target that the partisan political warriors have been hoping to detonate for so many years.

Virginia is a governmentally peculiar state. By law, our governors may only serve one four-year term. This arbitrary rule may change in the near future. There is legislative movement to alter the rule to allow a governor to run for reelection. Another bizarre governmental quirk in Virginia is that the governor must present a budget to the General Assembly at unusual times. The new governor’s first budget is due at the end of the second year of the term and the second budget is due as the term expires after four years. How realistic is it to expect a new governor from a different political party to accept and adopt a budget prepared by his predecessor?

Governor Tim Kaine, recently replaced in the position by Bob McDonnell, presented his lame-duck budget in December. In it, Kaine had the audacity to ask for a state income tax increase to help offset the gigantic negative state revenue numbers. Even with the tax increase, Kaine’s budget would UNFUND the state’s share for 14,375 public school education jobs. These are jobs that are mandated by the state‘s own standards of quality (SOQ).

What is this “State Share?” According to JLARC (the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission), the state pays localities about 55% of the cost of each mandated education position. In past years, the battle we generally had at the state level was in determining exactly what positions the state would fund. For years, many necessary teaching positions were excluded from the state formula, leaving the localities to pick up 100% of the tab. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a better reconciliation of state support in relation to the localities’ needs. With Governor Kaine’s budget proposal, all that progress will be permanently erased, if approved by the General Assembly.

However, Governor Kaine has left office and the new governor, Bob McDonnell, has been elected by the citizens to take charge. Governor McDonnell has the opportunity to amend Governor Kaine’s budget. He could choose to lessen the drastic impact on public school education; however, McDonnell has point blank stated that he will not support ANY tax increase. With Delegate Morgan Griffith (Salem), House of Delegates Majority Leader, on his side, McDonnell is in a strong position to carry out his pledge.

So what will happen? Will the state budget be pushed through with no infusion of revenue as suggested by Governor Bob McDonnell? If so, according to the State Senate Finance Committee, funding for 22, 875 education jobs will be abolished. That means 22,875 public school education jobs will go unfunded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

What will localities do? They will have to make tough choices. Can they afford to fund all 22,875 positions? Can they make up the 55% share that the state will vacate? Do they have any untapped revenue sources? The answer to each question is, sadly, no.

Silly Little Secrets.

Virginians, relatively speaking, have it pretty good. According to the latest statistics, Virginia ranks 7^th in the nation in per-capita family income. That’s right…7^th. Virginia also ranks 31^st in teacher salaries and 37^th in per pupil spending. Taxes. You always hear about taxes, right? Well, comparatively speaking, Virginia is a low tax state. In 2008, Virginia ranked 41^st out of all 50 states with 5.7% of personal income devoted to state taxes. The national average is 6.7%. Facts are facts.

We aren’t living in reasonable times. As we approach the 100% line of perfection for NCLB, educators know very well the effort required to make it this far. We’ve revamped everything we do so that our children can meet the federal standards. Yet, the “Average Joe” believes that public schools are a failure. That failure message, hammered into the social consciousness over and over since Education Secretary Bell released the historic “A Nation At Risk” report in April of 1983, haunts the whispered background of today’s public school education discussions. How is it possible for schools to have met every challenge placed before them and yet still be chained with failure?

Without a doubt, we live in challenging financial times. Tough decisions will need to be made by legislators and supervisors on the state and local levels to determine how completely education will be supported. Lost in the discussion is the simple fact that education is the bedrock of a strong, vibrant, and free society. Virginia has a constitutional obligation to provide adequate funding for our schools.

Today’s children are being torn in so many directions, yet public schools are the one constant in the lives of many children. Gutting our educational program now would have a devastating impact on those we hold dear- our future, our present.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????”

That’s what I scream in my quiet moments when I have time to think.

Thom Ryder

RCEA Executive Board

So you stayed with this editorial so far…want more information? Visit some of these websites and learn more about the politics of money that will affect everything we do for children.

VEA Daily Reports: Follow the actions at the General Assembly as they relate to public school education. Updated regularly! http://www.veadailyreports.com/

VEA: The main site for the Virginia Education Association. Full of excellent information and member benefits. http://www.veanea.org/

RCEA Blog: Updated when time permits with stories and commentary. http://rcea4.blogspot.com/

VEA Keeps You Informed

VEA has launched a blog that will address important General Assembly legislative issues.

Hot off the press is VEA's Rob Jones' first look at the various bills that, if passed, will drastically reshape VRS for educators. The legislative attack on VRS is serious and should be of great concern to all educators who plan to make education their life's profession.

Check out VEA's legislative blog at

VEA Daily Reports
http://veadailyreports.blogspot.com/