RALEIGH (September 6, 2024) – When they return to Raleigh on Monday, state legislators have an opportunity – an opportunity to finish their job.
Less than two months before Election Day – and with a billion-dollar surplus in hand – they can:
- Show they appreciate North Carolina teachers – who left classrooms at an alarming 11.5% rate last year1 – with raises larger than the 3% raises included in this year’s budget.
- Recognize a promising 4.6% increase in enrollment in the state’s community colleges by granting the colleges the $69 million they requested to provide classes and instructors for those new students.2
- Appreciate the UNC System’s new funding model – which combines enrollment and performance metrics – by funding the $46.6 million requested by the UNC Board of Governors.3
- Step up for NC child care. A survey found that nearly 3 in 10 providers – 1,500 centers that provide care for 91,000 children – could close without continuation of federal dollars that helped raise pay for teachers. Child care is critical to a vibrant workforce. Advocates sought $300 million to maintain the wage supports,4 but legislators approved only $68 million as a temporary patch.
Reports indicate legislators intend to expand state spending of taxpayer dollars on vouchers for students to attend private schools by $500 million next week.5
To do so without raising K-12 public school teachers’ pay would be an abomination – an injustice to the more than 80% of North Carolina students who attend our public schools.
LEGISLATORS FAILED in late June when they couldn’t reach agreement on an updated state budget for 2024-25 and left Raleigh without adopting a new budget – even though Republicans have a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the General Assembly.
The chief point of contention? Bigger raises for teachers and state employees.6
But that really shouldn’t be an issue.
Raises for North Carolina teachers have not kept pace with inflation over the past several years, and the state is projected to fall to 41st in average teacher pay for 2023-24.7
More than 10,000 teachers left North Carolina classrooms last year – the most in at least two decades.8
Even after a resource officer confiscated a pistol from a Winston-Salem student two weeks ago, the school system said it didn’t have enough staff to man metal detectors every day. And as several Wake County schools closed during the first days of school due to excessive heat or air-conditioning failures, the school system disclosed that half its HVAC jobs were vacant – some of them for years.9
That’s because the state of North Carolina apparently doesn’t take care of its people.
So please prove us wrong, legislators.
Step up and do your job.
1 https://www.wral.com/story/nc-teacher-turnover-hits-highest-mark-in-decades-new-report-shows-changes-in-who-is-leading-classrooms/21361469/.
2 https://publicedworks.org/2024/08/derelict/.
3 https://www.northcarolina.edu/apps/bog/doc.php?id=67951&code=bog, p. 4.
4 https://www.wral.com/story/nc-child-care-leader-warns-of-looming-financial-crisis/21359412/.
5 https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article291975555.html.
6 https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-legislature-budget-vetoes-constitution-c64956cdbe633b92fcd19835fe36578f.
7 https://publicedworks.org/2024/06/a-dysfunctional-legislature/.
8 https://www.wral.com/story/nc-teacher-turnover-hits-highest-mark-in-decades-new-report-shows-changes-in-who-is-leading-classrooms/21361469/.
9 https://publicedworks.org/2024/08/metal-detector-manpower/.
Robert says
Please! Unless there’s a monetary incentive in it for them the legislators could care two cents. It would be interesting to know how many of the legislators have children or grandchildren in schools that are receiving vouchers. Education and educators will remain on the back burner until the Democrats take control of the House and Senate. It’s likely we would see issues pertaining to school safety and gun control also addressed.
Neville A Chaney says
It is ridiculous that we are losing teachers to other states due to funding by our state legislators. We are one of the most sought after states for business, but that will not be the case for long because we are not funding PUBLIC EDUCATION in the fashion that we need to be doing. $500 million for private school vouchers when 80% of our students attend public school. Private school education is a choice, but it will become the only legitimate choice unless we can get AND PAY for the top teachers coming out of our outstanding universities. My wife taught teacher education at App State. For the last three years some of her top students got jobs in Virgina and other states (even though they grew up here in North Carolina. Wake up NC legislators. You are creating a long term problem.