A revenue surplus announced by the Virginia General Assembly in July has led to a two percent increase in Virginia state workers’ paychecks starting September 1, 2015. State workers include higher education faculty, judges and state-supported local constitutional officers, among others.

In short, Mason faculty can expect a boost in their pay this month.

Communication professor John Curry said that while two percent is not much, it is still a small step that can pave the way for positive change.

“I am not an economics expert. And the larger impacts of even small per-hour increases drift beyond my expertise,” he noted. “But my gut tells me that the journey to income equality, like the journey towards so many forms of social equality, begins with small steps.”

State law requires that 96 percent of the $553 million – the largest surplus on record – be deposited into the Revenue Stabilization Fund, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A portion will also be placed in the Virginia Water Quality Fund to provide water quality improvement grants throughout the state.