QUESTION:
Are Virginia teachers paid the worst in the country?
ANSWER:
No, but there is a huge pay disparity based on which part of the state you work.
SOURCES:
Jim Livingston- President of Virginia Education Association
Rep. Chris Hurst- Delegate for Virginia's 12th District and House Education Committee member
Julie Grimes- Virginia Department of Education spokesperson
Charles Pyle- Virginia Department of Education Communications Director
Virginia Department of Education: "2016-2017 Teacher Salary Report"
National Education Association: "Rankings and Estimates Report"
PROCESS:
In Virginia, some teachers can't make ends meet without a second job.
"You're looking at teachers in southwest Virginia with 20 years of experience, most of them with a masters degree who have yet to break $50,000 a year," Jim Livingston, President of Virginia Education Association, said.
Verify Viewer Joe Charles, a teacher in Stafford County, asked us to fact-check whether educators in Virginia are the worst paid in the U.S.
We asked the experts.
"To say that teachers in Virginia are the worst paid in the country is not entirely accurate, but I think it is a fair assumption to say that depending upon the location in Virginia, some of our teachers are extremely poorly paid," Livingston said.
A report from the National Education Association confirmed that Virginia educators are not the worst paid.
The national average for teacher pay in 2017 was $59,660. The budgeted average for 2018 is $60,483. In 2017 Virginia teachers earned on average $51,049, and the state budgeted $51,265 for 2018, according to a report from the National Education Association
Mississippi currently has the worst paid teachers with an average annual salary of $43,107 for 2018.
Virginia's schools are funded through state, local funds and federal funding, according to Virginia's Department of Education. The General Assembly is charged with apportioning how much of the state's pot goes into schools.
Virginia uses a formula to access how much state versus county dollars should fund each school system. The formula is calculate how much it takes to run a school, it's called the: 'Composite Index."
"The Composite Index is calculated using three indicators of a locality’s ability-to-pay: True value of real property (weighted 50 percent), adjusted gross income (weighted 40 percent) and taxable retail sales (weighted 10 percent)," Julie Grimes, a Virginia Department of Education spokesperson said.
Delegate Chris Hurst said the formula is low-balling how much schools costs.
Wealthier areas, with higher property taxes, are electing to pay more for better paid teaches, while rural area schools are struggling.
"I think the standards of quality grossly underestimate the true cost of standard education," said Hurst, who is a member of the House Education Committee. "Struggling school divisions continue to bear the burden."
Hurst represents Giles County, Radford City and parts of Montgomery and Pulaski counties.
In the 2016-2017 school year the average teacher earned $41,515 in Giles, $49,845 in Radford, $46,521 in Montgomery and $39,006 in Pulaski, according to Virginia's Department of Education.
Hurst said lawmakers need to do more to support teacher raises.
"We pat ourself on the back for two or three percent raises, but that only takes into account cost of living increases," Hurst said.
Many teachers in Virginia are still paying off college loan debt.
"When a teacher graduates with a $60,000 student loan and takes a job that is paying just over $30,000 a year, the numbers just don't add up," Livingston said."I think teachers have lost a great deal of hope, quite honestly...of any expectation of raises."
Northern Virginia is home to several of the wealthiest counties in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria have some of the highest property taxes and values in the state.
There the average teacher took home more than $72,000 in FY2016, but in counties like Russell, Tazewell and Northamptom, teachers banked about $40,000, according to VOE 2016-2017 Teacher Salary Report.
So we can verify, no, Virginia teachers are not the worst paid in the country, but depending on where you teach in Virginia, there is a large discrepancy of how much you'll earn.
