LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA – In a move that undermines the authority of our elected school board and silences the voices of parents and taxpayers, the Loudoun County School Board voted 7-1 on November 25, 2025, to ratify a historic collective bargaining agreement with the Loudoun Education Association.
This agreement, the first of its kind in Loudoun County Public Schools history, guarantees teachers at least a 15% raise over three years, with potential increases up to 19.5% including cost-of-living adjustments if additional funding is secured.
The estimated cost? A staggering $188.3 million, which will inevitably lead to higher taxes for families already struggling with rising costs. The decision shifts critical decision-making power away from the school board—elected by parents and community members like you and me—and into the hands of an unelected union leadership. Under this three-year contract, raises are locked in without the annual budget reviews that allow elected officials to adjust based on fiscal realities or community input.
This means parents lose their indirect voting rights through the board, as unelected union representatives now hold sway over compensation and working conditions that directly impact our children’s education. Board member Deana Griffiths, representing Ashburn, was the lone voice of reason, voting no and highlighting the grave concerns shared by many parents.
She warned that the costs would outweigh the benefits, rendering citizens “powerless” by guaranteeing these raises regardless of economic conditions. Griffiths also called out the blatant lack of transparency: the full contract was only uploaded to the school division’s website mere hours before the special meeting, leaving little time for public scrutiny or informed debate.
Kari LaBell, representing Catoctin, was absent from the vote. The agreement doesn’t stop at raises. It includes provisions for workplace safety, extended bereavement leave (up to three days, plus the option to use up to 20 sick days), increased convertible sick leave from five to ten days, due process protections, and dedicated planning periods and lunches.
It even allows the union president and two full-time employees to take unpaid leave while serving the association, with guaranteed return to their positions afterward.
While these perks may sound appealing, they come at the expense of accountability, as the union—a group not answerable to voters—gains leverage over policies that should remain under the control of our elected board. Negotiations for this deal began in April 2025, hit an impasse in October, and required mediators to resolve.
The Loudoun Education Association ratified it on November 21 with a reported 99% approval from its members.
But as parents, we weren’t part of that vote. This rushed process exemplifies how decisions affecting our schools and wallets are being made behind closed doors, stripping away our ability to hold leaders accountable through elections. As a parent deeply invested in our children’s future, I am alarmed by this power grab. It sets a dangerous precedent where unelected entities dictate terms, potentially prioritizing union interests over student needs and fiscal responsibility. Taxpayers will foot the bill for these guaranteed raises, likely through property tax hikes, while parents watch their influence diminish. It’s time for Loudoun families to demand better—contact your board members and make your voices heard before more control slips away.
