The Latest from VEA

New data from NEA’s Rankings & Estimates report confirm a familiar story for Virginia: teacher pay is going up, but not fast enough to make the Commonwealth competitive.

The report, which provides the most widely cited national comparison of educator salaries, shows Virginia continuing to sit squarely in the middle of the pack. Despite steady increases in recent years, the Commonwealth has not gained ground nationally and, in many cases, is falling further behind states that are investing more aggressively in their educators. This trend is not new, but this year’s data make clear once again that incremental progress is not enough.

Actual salary data show that Virginia’s average teacher pay rose from $66,327 to $69,254 in the most recent year, a 4.4% increase. That’s progress, but does not translate into movement in the rankings. Virginia remains 26th in the nation, exactly where it stood the year before. While educators are seeing raises, other states are moving faster. Nevada, the District of Columbia, and Delaware posted significantly larger salary increases, ranging from roughly 7.5% to nearly 12%, and moved up in the rankings, with Nevada alone jumping eight spots in a single year while Virginia remained stuck in place.

Virginia is not just being outpaced by top-paying states; it is also falling behind regional competitors. Georgia, for example, increased teacher pay by 5.7% and moved up two spots in the rankings, widening the gap with Virginia. At the same time, some states that still pay less overall are improving faster, a reminder that standing still today risks falling behind tomorrow. As a result, Virginia continues to trail the national average and remains far behind the highest-paying states.

This reality comes into even sharper focus as lawmakers in Richmond struggle to finalize a state budget. The General Assembly is currently at a standstill, with no agreement in place and no clear timeline for resolution. At the center of the debate right now is a specific and consequential question: whether Virginia will continue to forgo billions in revenue through its tax break for data centers, or reclaim some of those funds to invest in public priorities like education. Until that question is resolved, it remains unclear how much revenue will be available to fund anything, including educator pay.

So far, the proposals on the table fall short of what’s needed. The House budget includes 2% salary increases, while the Senate proposes 3%. Even the higher figure barely keeps pace with inflation and does little to close the gap between Virginia and other states. Over time, increases at this level risk locking in Virginia’s middle-of-the-pack status rather than changing it.

The debate over the data center tax break highlights the broader challenge. What began as a targeted incentive has grown into a major and ongoing drain on public resources. Today, the policy costs more than $1.9 billion annually, diverting hundreds of millions of dollars away from K-12 schools each year. Those losses are not abstract. They show up in under-resourced classrooms, delayed maintenance, and the persistent difficulty schools face in filling positions and retaining experienced educators.

The divide in Richmond reflects this tension. The Senate budget takes steps toward reclaiming some of that lost revenue, while the House does not. At the same time, both proposals rely on relatively small, year-over-year salary increases that fall short of what’s needed to make Virginia competitive. Taken together, these choices help explain why Virginia continues to lag behind.

Teacher pay in the Commonwealth is not stagnant, but it is not keeping pace with inflation, with other states, or with the expectations placed on educators. Without sustained, meaningful investment, the gap will persist. Schools across Virginia are already feeling the consequences, with staffing shortages, rising vacancies, and increasing challenges in retaining experienced educators. Students experience those impacts every day through larger class sizes, fewer course offerings, and less stability in their classrooms.

The data released in this year’s report make one thing clear: Virginia’s current approach is not enough to change the trajectory. Closing the gap will require more than incremental increases. It will require a commitment to sustained investment in educator pay, a willingness to bring salaries up to and beyond the national average, and the revenue decisions necessary to make those investments possible.

Virginia has made progress, but progress without movement is not success. If the Commonwealth is serious about strengthening its public schools and supporting the educators who make them work, it must do more than keep up. It must commit to catching up, and right now, that work remains unfinished.