Governor Northam tours Metompkin Elementary School, discusses COCA funding and potential easing of restrictions

Virginia Governor and Eastern Shore native Ralph Northam visited Metompkin Elementary School Monday morning.

Governor Northam toured the facility and read a book to one of the school’s classes.

“I really am impressed, thank you for the tour this morning,” said Northam. “This has been a tough year for all of us in Virginia and in this country… We had to make difficult decisions. There were a lot of unknowns about the virus… so we made the decision March a year ago to close schools, and we’ve learned a lot since then. I think we all agree we want our students back in the classroom, that’s where they learn best.”

Northam added there is a collaborative effort to get the children back in school safely and responsibly.

Accomack County School Board Vice-Chair Dr. Ronnie Holden asked Northam about the status of the COCA funding for Accomack County’s teachers.

“Delegate Rob Bloxom and Senator Lynwood Lewis worked hard in the General Assembly on that… That is very important,” said Governor Northam. “I can assure you, that is going to stay in the budget.”

The COCA funding has been long sought after by both Accomack and Northampton County schools. Teachers can earn several more thousand dollars per year by getting a job across the state line in Maryland. However, the issue, which has in some ways become perennial, is often killed by northern Virginia’s delegation. This year, ongoing funding was replaced with a one-time bonus for Accomack and Northampton County teachers.

“It’s especially a challenge for us on the Shore,” added School Board member Ed Taylor. “So it would be a very big benefit if we could get it.”

“I think we’ll make it happen,” responded Northam.

Northam also addressed Virginia’s COVID-19 metrics and his potential moves during the brief Q&A following the tour.

“The good news is the number of COVID cases is coming down, our positivity rate is very close to 5%, it was up over 20%, so the numbers in communities are coming down and vaccinations are going up,” he added. “It’s the middle of March now, in the next week or so, we’ll be talking about what we’ll do for April, but we’ll be lifting some of those measures if the numbers continue to trend favorably.”

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