Tonight the VBCPS School Board will be hearing a proposal to provide a 1% cost-of-living wage increase to all staff. There is a counter-proposal requesting that this be made into a 2% raise, but only for classroom teachers. Here is my letter to the Board, requesting that the counter-proposal be denied, and that the 1% cost-of-living raise be distributed to all staff, including bus drivers, nurses, counselors, cafeteria staff, custodians, and others. I will be watching the meeting tonight, hoping that the Board chooses to reward all VBCPS staff for their hard work.

Hello VBCPS School Board Members, 

I’m a parent in District 9, and I’m writing today in support of giving the additional 1% cost-of-living raise to all VBCPS employees, not just classroom teachers. 

My two children are VBCPS students and there have been counselors and support staff in our lives who have personally enriched their school experiences, and I am forever grateful.

Employees including bus drivers, nurses, counselors, cafeteria staff, custodians, and others are dealing with the same inflation as their colleagues who teach in the classroom. The retention crisis is not limited to teachers. Support staff are critical to the overall success of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

Furthermore, I encourage you to continue to pursue funding for increased wages across the board, so that VBCPS staff won’t continue to be drawn to neighboring school districts that are offering greater increases in pay. It is not productive to create division amongst VBCPS staff. 

Thank you, 

Erika Guess