LTE: Don’t Erode Loudoun’s Teacher Benefits

Here we go again, but this time, the Loudoun School Board and Board of Supervisors have devised a new strategy to justify ideological cuts with little regard for the continued erosion of our schools. Fortunately, there is a way that you, as parents, can tell your elected officials to stop doing this. Please consider joining teachers and staff at the Loudoun Education Association rally to "Fund Their Future" at the Government Center in Leesburg at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27.

[Read Leesburg Today’s report about the school budget.]

Rather than targeting teacher and staff paychecks directly this time, the School Board has figured out how to fund their cuts by increasing the cost of benefits to current employees and slashing their benefits in the future.

Did you know that the proposed LCPS budget, despite reflecting modest increases, does not even cover inflation, nor student growth? That's right, Loudoun, not only are your teachers being told to do more with less, but they are being told to do it for more students.

The bulk of the LCPS budget consists of employee compensation and wages. By targeting this, the School Board will make it impossible to pay teachers here a living wage. Loudoun will become unable to attract and retain the high-quality teachers that you expect your children to have.

You've probably heard that Loudoun County has the highest per-capita income across the United States. Why, then, can't we pay our teachers a wage that allows them to live here? How can teachers focus on the job of educating students when they must take on a second or third job in order to keep up with inflation? What will happen in your child's classroom if good teachers feel compelled to move to neighboring counties?

Parent and community support through your presence at LEA’s "Fund Their Future" rally on the 27th and by communicating your concerns about fully funding the School Board's budget directly to the Board of Supervisors will help stop this erosion of your schools.

David Palanzi
Leesburg, VA
Business and IT teacher at Stone Bridge High School since 2001