RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a new state budget passed by the Virginia General Assembly on Monday that includes a 3% pay raise for teachers and state employees in the next two fiscal years.
Virginia Education Association President James Fedderman weighed in on the new budget deal for educators, which starts July 1 and runs until June 30, 2026. He said the pay raise keeps teachers making less than what they deserve to be paid.
“To not be compensated for your worth, it makes being disrespected a whole lot easier to walk away from, from a profession that you once loved,” Fedderman said.
According to the association’s data, Virginia’s average teacher pay is currently $63,103, which is $6,441 below the national average of $69,554. This year, the gap will widen, as Virginia’s average teacher pay is estimated to be $65,058, putting the Commonwealth’s teachers $6,641 below the estimated national average of $71,699.
“While the salary is increasing, so are the prices and the costs that we’re expected to pay for health insurance,” Fedderman said. “So are the other costs that are coming out of educators’ paychecks. So it’s actually in many instances, they’re bringing home less every year.”
Fedderman said lawmakers must find better ways to increase revenue and meet the needs of teachers.
“That means putting more school counselors into the building, putting more educators into the building, reducing class size, giving the supplies and resources that every school needs so that every student can be successful,” Fedderman said.
Fedderman also said the state will need to offer a 14% increase in the next budget cycle to reach the promised legislative goal of meeting the national teacher pay average by the 2027-28 school year.
