Since Feb. 20, when Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill released the county’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019, Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity has been using this as an excuse to play politics with our children’s education. Herrity immediately announced his refusal to consider voting for this budget — which provides our county with much-needed funds necessary for not only our schools but also gang prevention, fighting the opioid epidemic, support for the area agency on aging and staffing for the South County police station — before even allowing his constituents the opportunity to provide feedback.
Things went from bad to worse recently when Herrity took to Facebook and Twitter to question the results of a three-year compensation study, designed to ensure that Fairfax County Public Schools is able to recruit and retain qualified employees. As the parent of an FCPS student, I understand the urgency of the matter. We are losing some of our most experienced, tenured educators to neighboring jurisdictions offering more robust compensation packages. Studies have shown that over a 30-year career, a FCPS teacher will earn as much as $290,000 less than if he or she were teaching just over the border in Arlington County.
Regarding the FCPS compensation study, Herrity stated, “I am working to find out exactly how much of the budget increase for Fairfax County Public Schools is actually…
