Invest in Teachers
Competitive pay to keep our best
"You cannot build a premier school system while starving its foundation. We must stop the brain drain and invest in our teachers from culture to compensation, because they are the heart of our city's future."
The Local Educator Exit
Right now, Lynchburg City Schools is experiencing a devastating "brain drain." We are losing our most experienced, highly qualified educators to surrounding districts like Bedford and Campbell counties. Why? Because we have failed to offer competitive compensation and, just as importantly, we have failed to offer professional respect.
When city leadership treats teachers as disposable bureaucrats rather than highly trained professionals, morale inevitably plummets. A school district cannot achieve excellence if it simply serves as a temporary training ground for teachers who eventually leave for better pay and a healthier culture across the county line. By underfunding our classrooms and engaging in toxic political rhetoric, the current leadership is starving the very foundation of our students' success.
Competitive Compensation
Lynchburg has failed to keep teacher pay regionalized. This lagging pay structure drives our top educational talent directly into surrounding school divisions, depleting our classrooms of experienced mentors.
Dave's "Culture & Comp" Plan
Competitive Frontline Compensation
Dave will fight to prioritize teacher pay in the city budget to stop the exodus of our best educators. We must ensure LCS compensation is highly competitive within the region so we can attract and retain the top-tier talent our students deserve.
Why Pay Matters 🤷
Get What You Pay For
This seems obvious, but you can't starve yourself to excellence. Teacher pay has lagged behind other professions, but it should NOT lag behind its local peers. It is our biggest investment into our economy to attract the best.