Despite the wet weather on Friday evening, approximately 140 Prince William County public school educators gathered on all four corners of the intersection of Prince William Parkway and Minnieville Road in Woodbridge, huddling under umbrellas and holding signs calling for fair funding for educators in the county.
The rally, along with a “work to rule" movement, which has teachers limiting their work day to their contractual hours, is a direct response to the FY13 tax proposal that does not include step increases or cost of living adjustments for county educators for the next five years.
“Nobody anywhere has a job or is able to function in society without a teacher, yet they take us for granted, because they know we’re dedicated to the kids,” said Sunny Davis, a Brentsville District High School counselor and former Hylton teacher.
Evynn Blaher, a Gainesville Middle School Librarian, believes more people might support teachers if they understood the side of profession they do not see.
“The general public has this misconception that teachers work a seven-hour day and they get all this time off. They don’t take into account when teachers come home from school that they have an additional three-four hours of work,” Blaher said.
The educators said they have also accepted more responsibility over the years to reach the increasingly high standards set by No Child Left Behind and other mandates.
“The plate’s turned into a platter,” said Blaher. “They want a world class education, but don’t take care of the people who make it world class.”
Blaher further believes that people advocating against teacher’s pay increases, do not understand that they are not asking for raises, per se, just step increases.
“It’s years of service,” said Blaher.
Because teachers expected those increases when they entered the profession, she said many now find themselves unable to meet their basic financial obligations, such as mortgages, gasoline or paying back student loans.
For some people, it is simply about providing for their families.
“My kids will go to college soon,” said Ted Rosiak of Potomac Middle School. “Dr. Walts’s kids will go to college no problem. I have to struggle. When I hear good teachers want to go to Fairfax County, it’s shameful.”
Others teachers voiced concerns about affording to get married or funding their children’s day care. Teachers who have been in the profession for years with multiple degrees identify the large inequity between their pay as teachers and that of peers who remained in the private sector or in Federal jobs.
Still these teachers are hopeful about the movement they have started, and are planning to remain visible, holding other public events on Friday evenings.
Educators have found by being proactive and utilizing social media, they could take matters into their own hands, and act more aggressively and efficiently; although they still coordinating efforts with the PWEA.
However, not all Prince William County teachers are actively participating as some are fearful of becoming too involved in the protests. Educators were disheartened by the tone of the email they received from Superintendent Steven L. Waltz last week, which warned that certain job actions could lead to dismissal from their contracts.
The atmosphere differs from school to school, and Holley Scheffel of Battlefield High School said while her school has been great, some administrators are not nearly as supportive. Most teachers who participate say they have found a sense of family among themselves.
“’We’re a family," said Ted Rosiak of Potomac Middle School, commenting on the administration's email, but "[We need to] ‘remember our manners.’ If we’re a family, we’re a dysfunctional family."
While the movement has cautioned some, it has emboldened others.
“This has brought teachers together, like I’ve never seen,” said Shannon Geraghty of Forest Park High School, who organized the group, secured permits and had t-shirts printed. She points out that this is the first time that Prince William County has ever seen work to rule or teacher protests of this magnitude.
Educators said they do not enjoy working to rule, and would rather provide the extra services to the students, but they also felt compelled to take a stand. They thought a rally was the appropriate next step, when they did not receive the response they had hoped for from local or state legislators.
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Corey A. Stewart has said that the problem with educational funding in the county stems from a reduction in funding coming out of Richmond, and believes Prince William County does its part, spending the majority of its tax revenue funding the schools.
The County Board of Supervisors set the advertised tax rate at only a very modest degree higher than the previous year, which does not allow for the School Division to budget for teacher pay increases.
So, Prince William educators literally took to the streets to convince residents they should support what they consider fair pay for teachers.
They were met with honks and cheers, as well as a bus full of elementary children who yelled “We love you" to the protestors.
Educators hope Prince William residents feel the same way.
“This is growing; this isn’t going away,” said Geraghty. “We’re going to show ourselves every week."
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