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Suffolk teachers asking for raise at city council’s budget hearing

Posted at 4:39 PM, May 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-02 22:40:28-04

SUFFOLK, Va. – The Education Association of Suffolk is asking the Suffolk City Council to fully fund raises for teachers and other staff in the coming school year.

The city council held a public hearing for the 2018-19 budget on Wednesday night. Teachers wore red at the meeting at Suffolk City Hall in a show of solidarity.

According to the EAS, the school board approved a $3,000 raise for all teachers and a two percent increase for support staff along with adjustments for bus drivers and nurses.

“The days of a teacher going to work at a school division and retiring from the same division 30 years later are fastly coming to a close. Teachers are going to go where the compensation is the best,” said Sid Neighbours of the Education Association of Suffolk.

The city council must fully fund the school board’s proposed budget for the raises to go through.

During last year’s budget process, teachers threatened to quit over salary issues and bus drivers held ‘sick outs’.

The Education Association said this year’s process has gone much better.