Urgent Education Funding Message
From Dominic Melito:
Public Education needs your help! The cuts that are being proposed by Governor McDonnell would DEVASTATE public education in Virginia and Virginia Beach as we know it. On top of the $1.12 billion dollars in cuts to public education already in Kaine’s proposed budget, Governor McDonnell wants to tack on an additional $732 million dollars in cuts. For Virginia Beach, that’s another $21 million in cuts on top of the previous $32 million dollars in cuts from Kaine’s proposed budget.
To make matters even worse, Kaine’s budget called for freezing the changes to the composite index for 1 year. After initially agreeing to the freezes, Governor McDonnell decided to unfreeze the changes. As a region, Hampton Roads stands to lose $58 million dollars in state education funding with the change to the composite index. Most of the money moving out of Hampton Roads will be going to Northern Virginia. In Virginia Beach, it means $14.9 million dollars MORE will come out of the school budget next year. Hundreds of teachers will no longer have positions next year and class sizes will increase dramatically.
Here’s how you can help.
1) Please go to www.supportvirginiaschools.com. You will find a link to a pre-written e-mail to the Governor and your state legislators. You can edit the letter and/or personalize it if you’d like.
2) Write or e-mail your Delegate and Senator. Tell them NOT to make anymore cuts to public education! You can find their contact information here.
3) Sign up to receive e-mail updates on what’s happening with public education in the General Assembly here.
Any help that you can give us will be greatly appreciated. We must stand together and save Public Education in Virginia!
Thanks everyone,
Dominic Melito
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February 20th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Oh, for Pete’s sake!
Why shouldn’t former sacred cows such as the law enforcement and the education budget lines get the same treatment as every other agency, with a rigorous, bottom-up review of line-by-line spending?
These are austere times and EVERY facet of government should shoulder part of the burden.
Education will not be “devastated” but some programs will have to be combined, or perhaps have less frequent repetition as in previous years. Sports team may have to fill assistant coaching jobs with volunteers and some equipment will likely see maintenance deferred.
I haven’t seen a school budget yet, that didn’t have plenty of fat in it. Here’s a hint: take a hard look at the number of “Administrators” compared to the folks who are actually teaching. I would get rid of every job with “diversity” attached to it. If getting along and showing tolerance is everyone’s job, then you don’t need special fiefdoms to promote “diversity” nor do you need all those administrators who spend their time creating poofy policy wonky charts. Cut the staff positions and focus on the core mission of teaching students.
Our Congressional delegation could help during these times by taking the opportunity to cut longstanding, unfunded federal mandates, both to schools and to municipalities.
I am still not sure if we are heading into an even deeper depression than the last “great” depression. From where I stand, things look as though they shall get worse before they get better. The rational response is to make well reasoned targeted cuts to each area of the budget; cutting the largest chunks from the largest budgets, and those are usually education and law enforcement (in that order).
So, no sacred cows! I recall having to share textbooks when I was in high school in Norfolk. We just formed study groups and made the best of austere times. Virginians are pretty resilient and we will make it through these tough times and hopefully emerge even stronger for the experience.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:31 am
I find myself pretty much in agreement with J Tyler. I place a high priority on education, but during times such as this there can not be any sacred cows.
If educators are truly motivated to produce the best possible outcome for our school children and really thinking increasing class size must be avoided at all costs I suggest they put their money where their mouth is. During these hard times, why must educators avoid sacrifice?
I propose a temporary rollback in educator salaries so that no layoffs would be required. Once the economy improves, salary levels would be restored and hopefully even increased. If this is unacceptable, then I guess layoffs are unavoidable.
I am not expecting teachers and others (such as counselors and administrative staff) to shoulder more then what many other of our citizens endure. I will give myself as an example. During the current economy I have to work full time hours for what I can only describe as part time wages. My income level has dropped drastically. I have seen evidence that things are starting to turn around, however last year was horrible and my income was reduced by almost 50% compared to the previous year. I am not expecting teachers to accept a 50% salary reduction, but if they truly believe in what they preach I do not think it is unreasonable to ask them to agree to some minor, temporary salary reductions so that layoffs can be avoided.
If teachers think this is unacceptable? Well one of my kids is about to graduate from ODU with a degree in education. I believe he would be grateful, in these tough times, to fill one of the vacancies created if any such opportunities were presented to him.
If cuts are necessary and education does not share in the cuts, just where else will greater cuts be required? Is it wrong to ask educators to share in the sacrifices required during lean times? I do not think so.