Stafford County Public Schools has requested that Virginia give its teachers a raise to make the jurisdiction more competitive with neighboring counties.
COCA, otherwise known as Cost of Competing Adjustment, is given to counties by the state to adjust salary differences for support and teaching staff between localities. The funding for counties is based on average salary and population, which are currently expected to rise higher over the next decade in Stafford County.
According to the school division, Stafford is the third-fastest growing county in Virginia and has increased by 10 percent over the last decade. Despite that growth, the school division only receives the adjustment funding that matches 25 percent of its annual budget.
Nine school divisions in Northern Virginia are granted 100 percent of COCA funding, making it hard for Stafford County to remain competitive in retaining teaching staff and support personnel.
Nearby localities such as Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County receive only 25 percent of the funding.
On average, Stafford teachers make $10,000 less than teachers in nearby Prince William County, which is among the nine counties that receive 100 percent funding.
Many teachers who begin their teaching careers in Stafford schools often stay long enough to gain experience and then leave for higher salaries in other school divisions.
According to the Superintendent’s Annual Report for Virginia for Fiscal Year 2021, Stafford County spends $11,982 in per pupil expenditures from an annual budget of $350,149,101 for FY 2021.
Prince William County, for example, spends $13,425 in per-pupil expenditures. This puts SCPS’ per pupil expenditures lower than any of the Northern Virginia counties that receive a 100 percent match of COCA funding.
“The intent of COCA was to recognize the higher costs that division incur due to more competitive markets. The Northern Virginia labor market drives the salary costs higher for these divisions,” says Sandra Osborn, Stafford schools spokeswoman. ” The Division is pushing for the change in the COCA allocation now effective for the Fiscal Year 2024, based on their legislative priorities.”
