This fall, Stafford voters will head to the polls to elect their representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates. All 100 seats are on the ballot, including Stafford’s 23rd, 64th, and 65th districts. Potomac Local News continues to shine the Spotlight on our local elections, inviting all of the candidates from Districts 23, 64, and 65 to a virtual interview with the same five questions; their answers have been condensed into a series of articles.
The videos are available here. This is the second article in our five-part series.
Jim Tully (R, 23):
It’s very difficult for these localities to continue to raise taxes to meet the teachers’ pay. The state should somehow step in through legislation and make pay more competitive. I have two teachers in my family. It’s important that the teachers are paid adequately and have the resources they need to keep this high level that we’re maintaining in the Commonwealth, especially across the board—not only in Northern Virginia, but also in other localities such as Stafford and Caroline County and throughout the western end of the Commonwealth.
Paul Milde (R, 64 – Incumbent):
As you probably know, schools are funded three ways: federal, state, and local, and every piece of that pie is critical—the schools can’t afford to lose any of that money. A lot of state money is pass-through from the feds. Education is the largest expense for counties, somewhere between 55 and 67 percent of revenue. I absolutely think the state should do more to help Stafford so teachers get paid more. Stafford is at a disadvantage because of the Cost of Competing Allowance (COCA), set up 27–28 years ago to give Northern Virginia more funding. Stafford teachers are still paid $10,000–$15,000 less than neighboring Prince William County, even though the cost of living and teacher salaries are now comparable. I’ve been fighting this for the last two years—taking floor speeches and pushing for votes—and we will keep doing it until Stafford gets a fair adjustment.
Cole (D, 65 – Incumbent):
I absolutely believe localities have to make sure we’re paying our teachers competitively with the national average. Across Virginia, we are losing educators in Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania to counties like Loudoun and Prince William because our salaries aren’t competitive with Northern Virginia. Our students perform well, so we need to retain the good educators we have and attract highly qualified teachers who can teach what students need to learn. It’s key that educators are empowered to teach in the best way they know how, because who better understands the students than the teachers spending the most time with them? We also need to include parents and build strong rapport between educators and families, bridging any divide that may exist.
Steinway (R, 65):
I think the state should help the teachers out. Education is very important, and we need to push that. We need to have more programs, more education, more possibilities—not only for our teachers but also for people seeking higher education. I think it’s very important that we support that and be involved in helping make it happen.
In Stafford County, early voting will be held Monday through Friday at the Registrar’s Office at 124 Old Potomac Church Road, Ste. 205, from Friday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The only Saturday voting days will be Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline to register for voting or request an absentee ballot is October 24.
👉 Next in our series: Should the state or the locality help our Federal workforce employees?
