Budget Cuts

I thought it would be appropriate to update you on the education budget situation in Virginia; and more importantly, in Chesterfield County where Jeremiah teaches. In the state of Virginia, there has been a $700 million dollar budget cut for education. $52 million of that is in Chesterfield County. I am baffled by 1) where all this money comes from, and 2) how the government is able to cut this gigantic sum of money from one year to the next. It's way over my head, but a heavy reality for Virginia residents. Jeremiah has been told that there may be up to 8 position cuts in each school in the district. Chesterfield seniority rules, putting first year teachers on the chopping block. In fact, if someone has taught for 25 years, but they have only been teaching in Chesterfield for a year, they are in the same position as first year teachers. Although Jeremiah falls into this category, we are optimistic about his chances of keeping his job. Math teachers are a huge need and male teachers are in demand, too. In addition, Jeremiah has found favor with the administrators. However, there is a chance that he may not receive a contract for next year.

Fortunately, in Henrico County where I work, there are not supposed be any position cuts. The only significant cut is that no raises will be given.

All of this puts our future job status up in the air. When we first moved here I was crossing my fingers that we'd move back to Pennsylvania after our lease was up; however, we recently discussed the reality of staying in Virginia mostly because we have jobs. It's too risky to move without jobs set in stone, and with the job market like it is we anticipated trying to find new jobs to be quite the task. Now, we're just not sure what's going to happen. We're not in a panic, but we would appreciate your prayers for us in this. We know that God is sovereign and we will be where He ultimately wills us to be. As we seek the Lord in prayer, it is encouraging to know we have a support system in you praying, too.