Issue Position: Increase Teachers' Salaries/ Engage Parents in School Decisions

Issue Position

Great public schools are the cornerstone of a vibrant, thriving community. I support a meaningful increase in pay for our hard-working teachers to continue to attract and maintain the best educators in the country for our children. Right now, we are losing teachers to Arlington and other higher-paying neighboring jurisdictions. Fairfax school enrollment, especially along the Richmond Highway corridor, is growing fast and our facilities desperately need to catch up. I will fight for more state funding as well as work with local elected officials to find more funding. I agree with Delegate Krupicka's effort to raise our cigarette tax rate from $0.30 to $2.00 per pack and dedicate that revenue to our schools. Such a "sin" tax would provide an estimated increase of up to an additional $500 million a year for our schools. (Only one state has a lower cigarette tax rate than Virginia.) Most importantly, as a parent with a child in the Fairfax County Public School system, I believe the community must always be involved in a transparent, engaging process regarding any changes to our local school boundaries and new school construction projects. I am a strong proponent of expanding access to early childhood education, preschool, and quality childcare. Every dollar spent on education creates a greater savings down the line, and makes Virginia stronger.

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