Teachers’ pay raises from new state budget not equal for all

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The new state budget has a 7% pay raise for educators in North Carolina.

At a glance, it appears as news of relief for teachers after an extended wait.

However, this pay raise ranges from a scale of less than 1% to 7%, depending on the teachers’ years of experience, where they teach, and inflation.

This puts veteran teachers at a disadvantage.

Tamika Kelly, the NCAE president said, “Beginning teachers are getting far more than our most experienced educators on this scale. Many of them are getting 2% the first year and even less than that in the second over this biennium budget, so we know it does not do enough to retain educators in this profession.”

Kelly says this could lead to teachers moving to neighboring states, resulting in increased vacancies.

She added that it could jeopardize the longevity of the profession leading to potential losses of highly qualified educators.

In Pitt County, more educators want their voices to be heard to prevent these problems.

Dr. Kristi Rhone, the Pitt County Assistant Superintendent told WITN, “People who have stayed in the field of education and want to remain in the field of education, want to feel valued. So if voices of younger teachers are heard, then the teachers who have stayed in the career want to be heard as well.”

Dr. Rhone says the education field could benefit from more active surveys and conversations so that more educators could participate in important conversations like pay raises.

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