Real Estate

Readers: 'Penny Wise Pound Foolish' to Not Hike Teacher Pay

Superintendent Karen Garza recommending raise in face of $140 million deficit.

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza told an audience at JEB Stuart High School in Falls Church Wednesday night that, despite the district's projected $140-million deficit, she is including a proposal for teacher pay hikes in her budget for next year.

Readers weighed in Thursday, with one saying simply "No!" Here's a sampling of what others had to say:

Sohini: "Yes! Penny wise pound foolish not to."

Ashley: "Yes, we haven't had a pay increase in nearly 3 years. We've had to keep going with less, it's about time! Otherwise FCPS is going to start losing valuable and qualified teachers."

Christian: "Yes. They are way underpaid for their contributions to FCPS and society."

Shannon: "They should if they want to keep the high quality teachers they have now."

Beth: "Yes!! FCPS teachers have received little to no raises in the last 3 years - we will lose our dedicated and high quality teachers to other counties and school districts that pay more."

Pamela: "Ironic that although the question is posed in a skewed way, all the answers still support teachers' raises -- as they should! A better question would be 'Why do we have this kind of potential shortfall every year that we even have to have this conversation?' "

Matti: "YES !!! Our children and society are depending on retaining the best teachers and the quality of our education system. It is well worth spending extra money to secure the best possible future for our children and our excellent teachers."

Tina: "Absolutely!! Teachers always get the short end of the stick."


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