COMMITMENTS

Teachers

As a former teacher and spouse of a teacher, Justin is proud to advocate for teachers as a member of the Prince William County School Board. His children, who attend Prince William County Schools, are also benefitting from the highly skilled and experienced teachers. To recruit and retain the best teachers for our students, Justin believes that it is crucial for the division to provide competitive salaries and benefit plans, and a positive work climate.

During Justin’s first term, he advocated for back-to-back teacher steps and was the only School Board member in 2018 to push for a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for teachers in the FY19 budget. Justin was at the forefront when the school system repealed the 30-minute contract extension, and he proposed that the division retroactively pay back a frozen step for teachers during the budget sessions for the FY 18 budget.

During his second term, Justin stood with his colleague from Occoquan to support a step and COLA for teachers during the FY 20 budget cycle. All Prince William County staff received a 5.0% salary increase in FY 21 and the highest increase in the region in FY 22 at 7%. Thanks to support from the General Assembly, the school division provided ALL Prince William County employees with a $1,700 bonus in FY 21 and a $1,000 bonus in FY 22. To remain more competitive with other regional school divisions, the division increased starting teacher salaries and re-adjusted the pay scale to improve recruitment and teacher retention.

Other notable improvements include three years of no healthcare increases for teachers, parental leave baby bonding, and the formation of the Office of the Ombudsman. Justin remains one of the most steadfast supporters of collective bargaining and regularly visits teacher classrooms to learn more about the current practices in the classroom. Justin believes it is critical to have a presence in his schools both during and outside the school day.