Senator Lewis and Delegate Bloxom prepared to shepherd COCA funding bill through 2021 General Assembly Session

Pictured: Northampton County Schools new teachers from the 2018 – 2019 school year.

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Senator Lynwood Lewis and Delegate Rob Bloxom are extremely happy over Governor Ralph Northam‘s decision to include cost of competing adjustment(COCA) funds in his outgoing budget.

The funds will help Accomack and Northampton County by providing additional revenue to bolster teacher salary in the hopes of keeping the best teachers from getting jobs in Maryland, which, with their higher taxes, can afford to pay their teachers better.

“The first thing people look at when moving to a locality is the school system. We have to attract and maintain the best teachers,” said Senator Lynwood Lewis. “We’ve been lucky, we’ve got great teachers here, but that’s hard for somebody with a family to turn down, being able to drive 15 minutes north and make a lot more money every year.”

COCA funds have existed in northern Virginia for years to keep Virginia teachers from similarly taking higher paying jobs in Washington, D.C. Both Lewis and Bloxom are hopeful these funds, should they get final passage, will also provide an incentive for families who move here to work for Wallops to put their stakes down on the Virginia side.

The road is still a long one for the funding, Lewis expects any bump in local teacher’s paychecks won’t occur at least until July 1, 2022.

“Nothing’s ever done deal in Richmond, but its as close to a close to done deal as it, added Lewis. “If we can keep it in both versions of the budget, we’re going to be in very good shape. It’s a short session so we will know probably by the end of January, first week of February. I am thankful to Governor Ralph Northam and his administration for putting it in the budget.”

Delegate Bloxom agreed and felt keeping the item under the radar is our best path forward to ensure final passage.

“This is the start of a long process,” commented Bloxom. “We have always fought Northern Virginia who has voted against the initiative. With the Governor including this with other large initiatives, I am hopeful this will be able to pass without garnering much attention.”