Dear Editor:
I am writing to urge Sen. Lewis and Del. Bloxom to support and fight for Budget Amendment HB 1800 for our Eastern Shore schools.
As you know, this amendment provides funds to implement the cost of competing (COCA) that would provide funding for instructional and support staff and help the Eastern Shore school districts be more competitive with wealthier border communities. (The funding has been used in northern Virginia since the early 2000s to help compete with Maryland and the D.C. school systems.)
Real estate across this country has gone off the charts as a result of people relocating out of the cities due to COVID-19 concerns.
Because of this, the cost of living has increased dramatically on the Shore, particularly housing. Passage of HB 1800 will help to mitigate this discrepancy and help to keep and attract qualified instructional and support staff to our schools.
Please support and urge your colleagues to support this critical funding. Our students have already taken a huge hit due to the lack of accessible broadband impinging on their virtual learning ability. Passage of this needed funding will help hold the tide for them to recover and prevail.
Times have changed and the ground has shifted. The students and educators of the Eastern Shore need all the help they can get.
And you can give it to them!
Peg Snowden Volk, Cherrystone
