ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 12, 1997 TAG: 9704140055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS RICHMOND
He also pledged to give teachers more disciplinary authority in their classrooms.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Don Beyer on Friday told teachers attending the Virginia Education Association's annual convention what they wanted to hear, pledging to raise their salaries if he is elected governor.
In a speech to more than 1,200 teachers, Beyer promised to raise teacher pay to the national average during his four-year term. Virginia educators earn about $34,800, he said, while the national average is about $37,800.
``No one has yet repealed the simple laws of economics - you get what you pay for,'' he said.
Beyer's Republican opponent, Attorney General Jim Gilmore, was scheduled to speak to the VEA Saturday. Beyer and Gilmore are both unopposed for their parties' nominations.
Beyer also pledged to give teachers more disciplinary authority in their classrooms and to establish a Professional Standards Board to set rigorous standards for teachers and help recognize the best instructors in the state.
``I want to be Virginia's education governor,'' he told the crowd. ``And I need your help - blood, sweat, toil and tears - to convince every Virginian that we can make Virginia's public schools the very best.''
Afterward, Beyer told reporters the raises would only work if tied to higher standards for teachers, including accountability for those whose students don't perform well, and a board to monitor teacher achievements.
``I don't think you can do teacher pay without the other two,'' he said. ``You want to make sure the increase in pay is a strategic investment, a reward for having the right academic background for teaching our children.''
To pay for it all, Beyer said he would use part of the $2 billion in revenue growth projected by the Gov. George Allen's administration for the next two-year budget cycle. The state budget is about $17.5 billion a year.
``You're going to have more than $70 billion of budget over the four years to find $410 million,'' he said.
Several teachers in the audience held signs touting Beyer's gubernatorial hopes, and many welcomed his message as one they've been waiting to hear.
``What we've got is a commitment from someone who recognizes that teachers in Virginia are not paid adequately,'' said Kathryn Scruggs of Arlington.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS GOVERNORby CNB