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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsVirginia students learn in trailers while state offers Amazon huge tax breaks
The states teachers plan to strike over funding, low pay and tax breaks given to the tech firm
As freezing rain poured down on Virginia last week, a student dressed in only a light red sweater made a mad 40-yard dash from her modular trailer classroom across the parking lot into the warmth of McLean high school in Fairfax county.
Due to overcrowding, more than 22,000 students in Fairfax county receive their education in cheaply constructed plywood trailers, often with visible signs of green mold, like those parked next to the baseball fields next to McClean high school.
Those trailers, the poor state of school funding in general, low teacher pay and now the huge tax breaks the state is giving to lure in Amazon have led the teachers to strike on Monday, the start of the latest in a series of strikes by educators across the US.
In Fairfax county, the third richest county in America, there are over 800 trailers serving as temporary classrooms because the school district cannot afford to build new classrooms.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/27/virginia-teachers-strike-amazon-tax-breaks
underpants
(183,043 posts)Right down Franklin or Grace to Capital Square. I plan to walk over and offer some support.
Its a school holiday today.
912gdm
(959 posts)my elementary and middle school had those. I hated those rooms
brooklynite
(95,006 posts)Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Past governor Martinez (R) tried luring in Hollywood filmmakers to our state that offered nearly no return on the investment, while promising better schools. New Mexico is ranked at the bottom of the USA, in education; but Gov. Grisham (D) recently diverted LOTS of money to a new pre-K program, created more teaching positions and gave teachers a raise.
JustAnotherGen
(32,043 posts)It's that simple. We a pay astronomical property taxes in NJ in order to fund our schools. VA is going to have to do the same - and they can afford it.
I'm in the 6th wealthiest county in America, we manage - - so can they.
bpj62
(999 posts)My children are all students in the Fairfax County School. System. My oldest graduated in 2017 and the other 2 are in 8th and 11th grade. The county has been going through a bond referendum that was used to renovate and modernize the schools. The high school they go to has had 2 additions built in the past 12 years. The last one added 18 class rooms and it removed the trailers. We are a county of over 1.2 million and we are filled to capacity. A
As for the teachers going to Richmond to demand better pay I am all for it. Please note that under Virginia State Law teacher are forbidden from striking and unionizing is almost impossible. They have an association the VEA but it doesn't have much power.
As for taxes please note that Fairfax County is bearing a large cost of the Metro line construction that is occurring on the western side of the county where I live. We have had our real estate taxes raised because of the metro. The Virginia legislature which is still dominated by the southern and southwestern part of the state did not want to give any funding to Metto. However they are more than willing to take the revenue that Northern Virginia generates.