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VEA Member-Lobbyists Flood Capitol

Who says state budget cuts won't affect the classroom?

Nearly 300 VEA members who flooded the state Capitol Monday for VEA Lobby Day know otherwise. Most are facing the prospects of program cuts and job losses back home based on early budget wrangling at the local level, and the prospect of severe cuts and permanent funding formula changes coming out of Richmond has made them all too aware that children and education employees will be deeply affected.

So, sporting stickers that said, "No Permanent Cuts," they made sure that lawmakers knew they have the facts on their side.

Franklin County Education Association President Leanne Worley made the case quite clearly in her meeting with Del. Charles Poindexter. "We don't understand why any cuts have to be permanent -- that will just make it more difficult when the sun shines again," she told Poindexter. "All of these decisions are going to have an impact on us in the classroom. We don't have room to cut."

Get the latest on happenings at the VEA General Assembly by clicking 'General Assembly Daily Reports' in the right-hand bar of our page.

Take action by contacting your legislator with your message: 'No Permanent Cuts.' Click 'Action Alert' at right.

Members of the Chesterfield Education Association (CEA) and Powhatan County Education Association (PCEA) made sure that Delegates Lee Ware and Sen. John Watkins knew how important it is to restore funding for bonuses for teachers earning their national board certification. VEA helped win a state-funded bonus of $2,500 per year for 10 years for each Virginia teacher earning national certification, but those bonuses are being curtailed.

"Study after study shows that teachers with their national board certification produce greater student achievement," Donald Wilms of the CEA told Del. Ware. "Please don't forget that the state promised us bonuses each year for 10 years; and I had to put in a tremendous amount of extra work to earn the certification as well as pay application fees up front."

Like their colleagues from across the state, the PCEA and CEA members also stressed the impact that state funding cuts will have on already cash-strapped school divisions.

"At the local level, these cuts will impact instruction, they will impact class sizes, and teachers will lose jobs," said Sally Shumard of PCEA. "The greatest impact of the budget cuts will be on the children," added Robin Shortridge, PCEA president.

Check out Lobby Day Video and Photos

We captured the views of local Association members as they headed out to meet with their representatives on the morning of VEA Lobby Day. Check out the video here. In addition, you can browse photos from Lobby Day at our FlickR site here.