Prince William schools should be most women-friendly district in Virginia

Opinion

The United States Navy just expanded their maternity leave because they are “continually looking for ways to recruit and retain the best people.”  Prince William county Schools (PWCS) should follow their lead.

Nationally, over 75% of public school teachers are women.  Not only will an attractive maternity leave policy show women the respect they deserve it will allow PWCS to draw a better candidate pool for open positions within the school system.    The policy will, in part, help pay for itself by increasing teacher retention that reduces costs by having to hire fewer teachers every year.

It’s time for Prince William County Schools to take the lead on becoming the most women-friendly school system in the Commonwealth.  Attracting and retaining the best teachers should be the goal of Prince William County Schools, and, in a female dominated profession, paid maternity leave is a step in that direction.

PWCS should offer paid maternity leave to new mothers who are teachers and full-time staff in our school system.  Just like Title IX, the long view of this policy, and subsequent pro-women policies will make PWCS the most pro-women school system in the Commonwealth, if not the country.  The new maternity leave policy can take many shapes and should be crafted with input from women and mothers with cooperation from the School Board and administration.

In their press release, the United States Navy stated, “For families, increased time following the birth of her child has tangible benefits for the physical and psychological health of both mother and child.”  They continued, “… there is the likelihood that women will return to and stay in her career, yielding higher readiness and retention.”  This would also apply to PWCS when it comes to attracting and retaining the best female teachers.

Currently, teachers must use their sick days for childbirth and maternity leave.  Young teachers often don’t have the accrued days to spend any significant time with their child.  They often even go into debt by taking leave without pay by having to pay more into health insurance out of their check once they do return to work.   Even if a teacher does have enough sick days accrued they then run out of days to use for follow up doctor visits for them or their child.  The current policy does not reflect the strong family values that our communities cherish.

Teachers should have more available to them for maternity leave other than their accrued sick days.  Counting on the “sick bank” (a pool of sick days voluntarily submitted by other PWCS employees) for additional time off is not something a new mother can reliably count on for maternity leave.

Therefore, as Chairman of the School Board I will work for Prince William County Schools to offer paid maternity leave to our employees.  I will also work closely with all groups involved to formulate a policy that keeps the balance between family values and fiscal responsibility.

*Ryan Sawyers is a candidate for School Board Chairman in Prince William County Schools.