Potential showdown on teacher pay looming

Republican budget leaders in the GOP-controlled General Assembly released their proposed budgets Sunday, with both the House and Senate versions proposing a 3 percent raise for state workers — and an even greater increase for law enforcement officers and front-line mental health workers.

Republicans have said boosting state employee pay was a priority of this year's legislative session, and have made a variety of proposed cuts to the governor's budget, like cutting worker safety inspector positions, in order to pay for the increases.

Both House and Senate budgets would increase state spending on public education, particularly for rural and low-income areas, over McAuliffe's proposed budget.

House Majority Leader Kirk Cox, a retired teacher, said Republicans don't want force local governments to match a proposed teacher pay increase but instead want to give local governments as much flexibility as possible to spend school money.