Last Wednesday October 27, 2010 Shawn Ramsay, Casey Folsom, Tiffany Burrows, and Sasha Keller-Tripp attended the Virginia Education Association Pre-Legislative Meeting to prepare for the 2011 General Assembly. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Staunton, VA.
During the meeting, they were informed about the twelve VEA Legislative Agenda items for the upcoming General Assembly. Participants were given information about each of the twelve agenda items to take back to their perspective counties. The first agenda item is the Interventions to Raise Graduation Rate. This included VA Preschool Initiative, Comprehensive School Reform, Dropout Prevention, Class Size Reduction and Increased Salaries for Educational Professionals and expanding existing Scholarship Loan Programs.
The second agenda item is State Share of a 3% Increase. It is stated that, “VEA will seek an amendment to the state budget to provide the state share of a 3% salary increase for public school employees.” This comes from the VEA Pre-Legislative Meeting booklet given to all participants.
The third agenda item is School Funding Study. The VEA is seeking a Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission (JLARC) examination of the standards of quality regarding Virginia’s low relative ranking in state funding and state’s fulfillment of the following Constitutional Obligation. The Constitutions calls on the general assembly to, “provide for a system of free public elementary and secondary schools for all children of school age throughout the Commonwealth, and shall seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained.”
The fourth agenda item is VRS Study to examine if the continued underfunding has been consistent with the following Constitutional mandate. “Retirement systems benefits shall be funded using methods which are consistent with the generally accepted principles.” In 2001 the teacher fund was 106.2% and is now at 67.2% funding level.
The fifth agenda item is Local school board retention of unspent funds. “Local school boards which conserve funds should be rewarded by allowing them to carry over funding appropriated for public education.” The sixth agenda item is Appropriate funding for virtual schools. The seventh agenda item is W-2 Definition of Salary. “The VEA shall initiate legislation to include all taxable earnings, including supplements for coaching and sponsoring extra-curricular activities, when calculating a school employee’s final average compensation for VRS.” Patron-Senator Puckett.
The eighth agenda item is Retiree Health Care Credit. The 2007 Health Care Bills Passed an increase of monthly health insurance credit for retired school employees from $2.50 for each year of service to $4 for each year of service. This was done to mirror the state employees’ health insurance credit. The 2007 Health Care Bills Passed also removed the 30 year cap on health insurance credit. The focus for VEA this year is to, “Expand availability of this health insurance credit benefit to education support professionals.”
The ninth agenda item is National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. “The VEA will seek budget amendments to: Provide Funding for NBPTS Stipends 2011-2012. Restore Funding of $1,000 Grants for NBPTS Incentive Program.
The tenth agenda is the Designation of April as Civil War in Virginia Month. The eleventh agenda item is Tuition Tax Credits/Vouchers. “The VEA shall oppose legislation that directs public funds to be spent on private school.”
The twelfth agenda item is Personal Risk Account VRS Option. “The VEA opposes the establishment of any alterative personal risk plan which would weaken and undermine the existing Virginia Retirement System.”
All information quoted and statistics are from the Virginia Education Association Pre-Legislative Meeting to prepare for the 2011 General Assembly Booklet given to all participants at the meeting. If you have any questions regarding this information please contact Shawn Ramsay, Casey Folsom, Tiffany Burrows or Sasha Keller-Tripp.
