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Snow No Barrier for VEA Members on Lobby Day

Nearly a foot of snow fell in the Richmond area this weekend, but that didn't stop close to 200 Association members from around the state from attending VEA Lobby Day February 1.

Roadways and sidewalks proved treacherous -- but scarcely more treacherous than the state budget, which threatens to push thousands of educators out of their jobs next year.

A delegation from local Associations served by the Blue Ridge UniServ unit visited with Sen. Edd Houck, who told them that lawmakers face a $4-billion hole in the state budget.  "I'm not optimistic that anything good is going to come out of this legislative session," said Houck. "It's all bad. It's all bad." He noted VEA figures that K-12 education will lose the state share of 30,000 school jobs with the submitted Kaine budget.

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Above: Members of the Education Association of Alexandria give 'Rookie of the Year' award to Del. Charniele Herring (far right). Below: Sen. Edd Houck updates members from Blue Ridge unit on state budget crisis. View more photos from Lobby Day.

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But the House of Delegates rejected a tax plan in the Kaine budget, doubling the gap from $2 billion to $4 billion. As a result, tens of thousands more jobs in education, health, and other fields are likely to be lost, he said.

If state lawmakers do not figure out a way to raise revenues, localities will have to, Kyle Wormuth, a reading specialist from Orange County pointed out. "They're forcing taxes, but without their fingerprints on it," he said.

Houck urged the VEA members to "beat the drum as loud as you can" at the local level. "At the local level, that's where these job cuts hit identifiable people," he said. Local educators need to demonstrate the impact on students, educators, and their families and communities if so many jobs are lost.

Earlier in the day, representatives of Education Association of Alexandria met with Del. Charniele Herring and presented her with VEA's "Rookie of the Year" award for getting a perfect score on VEA's legislative report card.  "For you to step up as a first-year legislator and vote 100 percent with us on our issues is fantastic," said Kim Blake-Wilcox of EAN. Then, getting down to the business at hand, they asked for her support on the budget and on protecting the Virginia Retirement System.

Blake-Wilcox said an event such as Lobby Day is one way to focus lawmakers' attention on the needs of educators and their students. "We try to be instrumental in helping friends of education get elected, and once they are in, it's our responsibility to keep their eyes on the prize," she said.