RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia teachers are marching to pressure state lawmakers for pay raises and other increases in school funding.
Thousands of teachers and supporters from around Virginia rallied at the state Capitol on Monday to protest what they’re calling unfairly low pay and inadequate education spending.
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has proposed a pay raise among other spending measures, saying Virginia’s teacher pay lags behind the national average and it’s getting harder to recruit and retain quality teachers.
Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled General Assembly say they too support increased education spending but have yet to introduce their proposals.
Virginia’s teachers are joining a national movement calling for more education spending that began last spring in West Virginia and scored a major victory last week after a teachers’ strike in Los Angeles.
