The Loudoun County School Board on Tuesday narrowly voted in favor of allowing teachers and other district employees to have collective bargaining rights.

The board voted 4-3 to proceed with adopting a collective bargaining resolution — a document that will now be drafted and must be passed by the end of 2023, according to Sandy Sullivan, president of the Loudoun Education Association teachers union.

Board members Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian), Erika Ogedegbe (Leesburg),  Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge), and Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn) voted for the resolution, with Jeff Morse (Dulles), John Beatty (Catoctin), and Tiffany Polifko (Broad Run) opposed. Two board members, Denise Corbo (At-large) and Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) were absent and didn’t cast a vote.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Reaser said she was proud to introduce the action item and saw the benefits for class sizes, student resources, and teacher retention.

Last night, the Loudoun County School Board voted 4-3 to adopt a collective bargaining resolution. See my statement below: pic.twitter.com/fib2Z4f0t1

— Atoosa Reaser (@AtoosaReaser) March 29, 2023

At Tuesday’s meeting, Beatty said he didn’t see the need for collective bargaining and expressed concern over tax increases from the additional funds needed to support a union.

“The LCPS administration is not a bunch of steel magnates who allow their workers to fall onto vats of molten metal,” Beatty said. “It’s a public-funded organization mandated by law to provide an education for our students, and I say we keep educating and focus on the students and their futures.”

The resolution approved Tuesday notes that employees submitted a petition from the Loudoun Education Association on behalf of licensed classroom teachers on Jan. 31. The board was required to vote on the resolution within 120 days. 

Tuesday’s vote also authorized moving $3.3 million of unspent fiscal year 2023 year-end funds to fiscal year 2024 to pay for additional employees to administer collective bargaining.

The LEA started its campaign to get collective bargaining in August 2020. The LEA is focused on bargaining for working conditions, student’s learning conditions, policies, salaries, and benefits, according to Sullivan. With the approval to proceed from the school board, their immediate next step is to work with the school board members to craft the collective bargaining resolution that will govern future collective bargaining agreements, Sullivan told DCist/WAMU.

The decision comes three years after the Virginia General Assembly gave jurisdictions the option to grant bargaining rights to employees. The Virginia Assembly’s decision essentially reversed a 1977 Virginia Supreme Court ruling that denied those rights.

Loudoun’s decision also comes less than a month after Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved its collective bargaining resolution for employees, including teachers, after a 15-month process.

The Loudoun teacher’s union heralded the vote, with Sullivan telling DCist/WAMU: “It is time for employees to be a part of the decisions made for our students and colleagues.”