Fairfax County Public Schools employees will get a 2% raise in January, after the school board unanimously approved the measure at its Thursday meeting.
It’s a step that leaders in Virginia’s largest school division hope starts a conversation about retaining staff members in the midst of a national teacher shortage.
The school board approved the raise following state lawmakers and Gov. Glenn Youngkin signing off on an amended budget for fiscal 2024, a process completed later than usual.
The raise will be effective Jan. 1, 2024.
In addition to increasing salaries, board member Karl Frisch said the school system needs to consider innovative ways to ease the work of its educators and school staff.
“To be clear, teachers and school staff deserve a lot more than we’re giving them in this pay increase,” Frisch said Thursday. “But this vote is a step in the right direction.”
The midyear raise is expected to cost the county $30.5 million, board member Ricardy Anderson said. Funding from the state, as a result of the amended budget passed in September, will be used to pay for some of that cost, Anderson said. The county will use funds from its staffing reserve to pay for the rest.
However, board member Karen Corbett Sanders said the raise doesn’t give Fairfax County a retention advantage, because the 2% is being enacted across the state.
“We cannot afford to not adopt,” Corbett Sanders said.
Leigh Burden, the county’s chief financial officer, said educators in Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties will also receive the 2% raise as of Jan. 1.
Fairfax County, Anderson said, should consider finding ways to hire and retain teachers in hard-to-fill roles, such as special education, where she said there are numerous vacancies.
“How we spend our money is indicative of what we value,” Anderson said. “While the 2% raise is a start, it is clearly insufficient in ensuring our professionals are compensated at their full value.”
While the raise may be considered insufficient by some, board member Elaine Tholen said “it is one small way to show our appreciation to our staff.”
