NORFOLK, Va. — Wednesday evening, Norfolk teachers rallied for more pay ahead of a public hearing on the proposed budget for the City of Norfolk.
Teacher pay was one of many topics addressed by residents towards city leaders.
“They need to pay them to retain them,” said Laquetta Mackey, President of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers.
The group asked the city to help allocate an additional $5 million to help bring pay up to where teachers believe it should be this year.
READ: Norfolk Public Schools FY 2024 Budget
“I can barely get my mortgage paid with my salary,” one Norfolk educator said during Wednesday’s meeting. “I have to work another job to pay my mortgage, and it’s just not fair.”
According to the city, the school district's budget includes a 7% increase from $49,500 to $53,000, and a 6.9% average salary increase for teachers and classified employees.
The Associated Press reports that last August, the Virginia Department of Education got data from 111 school divisions, and found about 3,300 teacher vacancies.
In a response to a survey about their experiences, Virginia teachers cited issues ranging from student behavior and mental health, to low pay.
Those speaking at Wednesday night's meeting said raising pay is important to retain experienced teachers.
“Losing good, veteran teachers hurts the students, and the community of Norfolk,” one teacher said at Wednesday’s meeting.
“None of these people in the black shirt that I have on came into the profession to be rich,” Mackey said. “But, they deserve to live comfortably.”
“Norfolk has made a significant investment in education,” city council member Tommy Smigiel said.
Smigiel told News 3 he supports higher teacher salaries and encourages residents to reach out to school board members and state lawmakers.
“They [Norfolk teachers] are lobbying council for that extra money, but the thing is, the city council doesn’t tell the school system how to spend their money,” Smigiel said. “I understand the spirit of what they’re asking for. I’ve been impacted by it. But, it’s not [the] city council’s place to tell them.”
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander told News 3 the city will share Wednesday's comments with the school board.
“We want them to be competitive. We want them to stay in Norfolk [and] retire in Norfolk,” Alexander said. “We want students to have a world-class education here in the City of Norfolk, and we want them to go far. So, an investment in education is an investment in our future.”
Mayor Alexander also told News 3 there will be a joint meeting between the city council and school board sometime this year.
To view Norfolk's proposed budget for 2024, click here.
