VEA President Dr. James Fedderman Addresses House Education Committee; and more.
January 17, 2022
January 17, 2022
This morning, VEA President Dr. James Fedderman addressed the House Education Committee by invitation of the new chairperson, Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach). Dr. Fedderman laid out the VEA’s legislative priorities around fully funding the Standards of Quality (SOQ), Lifting the Cap on Support Positions, Teacher and ESP Pay, and pandemic-related issues affecting all school staff. Watch Dr. Fedderman’s address by clicking on the video below.
The House Education Subcommittee is scheduled to meet TOMORROW morning to take up a bill that would reduce due process protections for teachers.
Vote NO on House Bill 9!
Tell the House of Delegates Education Subcommittee to reject increasing the probationary term of service from three to five years.
Tomorrow at 7:30 AM, the House Education K-12 Subcommittee will meet to discuss legislation that will give all local school boards the option to increase the probationary term of service for public school educators from three to five years. This legislation also eliminates the option of a three-member fact-finding panel and reduces written notices of a hearing from 10 to five days.
Let your legislator know you OPPOSE HB9 by calling them today or signing up to testify during tomorrow’s Sub-committee meeting:
Delegate John Avoli: (804)698-1020
Delegate David LaRock: (804)698-1033
Delegate John McGuire: (804)698-1056
Delegate Tara Durant: (804)698-1028
Delegate Anne Tata: (804)698-1082
Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg: (804)698-1072
Delegate Suhas Subramanyam: (804)698-1087
Delegate Michelle Maldonado: (804)698-1050
Delegate Glenn Davis: (804)698-1084
Here is the schedule for Educator Action Week:
Due to the Omicron outbreak, we have moved Lobby Day to a virtual format.
Join your fellow VEA brothers and sisters for a week of events designed to educate, motivate, and ultimately build power for public education at the General Assembly this year. Participate in one event or all of them – it is completely up to you!
Sunday, January 23 – Legislative Briefing, 6pm (MEMBERS ONLY) Join our Government Relations team for a crash-course in being an effective legislative advocate for public education! Learn what you need to know about how to talk to legislators about VEA’s legislative priorities and how you can schedule your lobbying visits virtually at this comprehensive briefing.
Monday, January 24 – Educator Action Rally, 6pm Join President Dr. James J. Fedderman in a celebration of union solidarity and pride as we open the new legislative session. We know this year will be full of many challenges, but we also know that if we work together, we can overcome anything.
Tuesday, January 25 – Issues and Impacts: Education Forum, 6pm (MEMBERS ONLY) Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to our legislative priorities. Join policy experts, member leaders, and the legislators themselves in conversations centering around three of our most pressing legislative issues: public school funding, collective bargaining, and charter schools.
Thursday, January 27 – How Did Richmond Win Collective Bargaining? Organizing, Structure, and Strategy, 6pm (MEMBERS ONLY) Richmond City EA was the first local in 44 years to win the right to collectively bargain. We want to share their learnings, structures, and work done to secure this historic 8-1 vote for collective bargaining. We will also share their next steps.
The average pay of Virginia public school teachers in 2023-24 was $65,830. That is $4,260 below the national average of $70,090.
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