CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

Just when we thought that the budget woes of the Public Schools in Virginia could not get any bleaker, we received information from the governor concerning the Composite Index for 2011. Our newly elected governor seeks to unfreeze the Local Composite Index. The unfreezing of the Index would cost the Hampton Roads area around $58,425,949 and Norfolk Public Schools $8,941,063. This would be in addition to the already staggering cuts that we already face.

The Regional Superintendents have united and written a letter to the Legislative Delegation of the greater Hampton Roads region. This letter outlines the devastating effects of the proposed unfreezing of the Composite Index.

The Superintendents include Chesapeake, Franklin City, Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wright, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Poquoson, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg/JCC and York.

The unfreezing will benefit approximately 39 school districts, most of these in Northern Virginia. The biggest losers will be districts that are least able to absorb the cuts. Those in urban and rural districts will be impacted the most.

As you know the VRS (Virginia Retirement System) continues to come under fire. Some of our elected officials believe that one way to balance the shortfalls in Virginia is to rob the retirement system and to break the promises made to employees who work until the retirement age.

HB 1189 Putney recommends that;

• Employees contribute 5 percent of their salary to VRS (JLARC had recommended 2 percent!)
• Cap the COLA at 4% (6-12% cut in overall retirement benefits).
• Decrease the Multiplier to 1.65%
• Base the “average salary” on the highest consecutive 5 years instead of 3 for retirement benefits.
• Raise the minimum retirement age from 50 to 60.

We have heard all of the comments from those who make decisions affecting education. Those who want to attract the brightest and best. It really makes you wonder if all of the cuts, budget freezes and lack of salary increases really make our future educators want to run right in and sign on the dotted line.

I believe that my original question was “can it get any worse? The answer is definitely yes, and it probably will”!

Please log onto the VEA website at veanea.org and find out how you can make a difference.