Norfolk Public Schools is facing serious financial strain - tight budgets, aging facilities, school closures, and a workforce stretched thin. At a time when educators are asked to do more with less, the School Board is proposing a staggering increase to their own pay: from $3,060 per year to $25,000 per year, a jump of more than 700%. The chair’s stipend would rise from $5,100 to $27,000.

This proposal would make Norfolk’s School Board one of the highest-paid in the region, despite the fact that our district is half the size of nearby Virginia Beach, where board members earn $20,000 and teachers are paid significantly more than our own.

This raise is not aligned with our district’s reality.
Norfolk is currently closing nine schools and repurposing or renovating several more due to ongoing financial pressures and declining enrollment. Teachers, instructional assistants, bus drivers, substitutes, specialists, custodial staff, and support personnel continue to struggle under some of the lowest pay scales in the region. Many juggle multiple jobs just to afford living in the city they serve.

Meanwhile, our classrooms lack the tools and updated resources needed to help students thrive. Staff members across all campuses regularly go without adequate materials, technology, and training; supports that directly impact student outcomes. If we truly want a higher-performing school system, investing in the people who work with students every day, not board stipends, is where progress begins.

This is about priorities. Not politics.
No one denies that School Board service requires time and commitment. But in a district battling shortages, closures, and budget constraints, awarding themselves a 700% raise, all at once, is simply not responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Even community members who support the idea of increasing board compensation acknowledge that such raises should be incremental, transparent, and aligned with district size and fiscal reality, not rushed through during a period of financial instability.

What Norfolk needs right now is support for staff and students.
Our educators and school employees deserve competitive pay.
Our schools deserve updated materials and functional buildings.
Our staff deserves modern tools, safe working conditions, and the resources needed to meet students’ growing needs efficiently and effectively.

These priorities directly impact student achievement. A massive board stipend increase does not.

We are asking the School Board to reconsider and realign this proposal with the needs of the district.
A raise of this magnitude, especially when Norfolk educators remain among the lowest paid in the region, sends the wrong message about who we value and what our priorities are.

By signing this petition, you are urging the School Board to:

Reject or revise the proposed 700% raise
Commit to a transparent, community-informed, and incremental approach to compensation
Redirect focus and resources toward classrooms, staff support, and student success; where they are needed most
Demonstrate leadership that reflects the fiscal challenges facing the district

Your signature shows that the community expects our elected leaders to put students and staff first.
Let’s stand together and insist on responsible decision-making, fair priorities, and a budget that strengthens, not undermines, our schools and the people who serve them every day.

Sign now to oppose the disproportionate pay increase and demand that Norfolk’s School Board refocus on supporting its educators, staff, and students. Every voice matters.