More North Carolina teachers will get a pay raise. Back in February, Governor Pat McCrory said he would work to increase the base pay for North Carolina teachers to $35,000, and said that he would announce more pay initiatives after the state's revenue picture became clearer. On Wednesday, the governor made that follow-up announcement at the Greensboro campus of North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro.
Rick Martinez, a spokesman for the governor, says there are a couple of components to the new plan. "The short-term announcement is that, in addition to the $35,000 raise over two years, that's the base pay for starting teachers that goes from zero to seven years, there will also be a raise for all of the rest of the teachers that will average about two percent."
And, Martinez explained, there's also a longer-term component, with further incentives for teachers. "They will have opportunities to earn more money, by doing things such as getting a master's in subjects that they teach. They will also be able to earn more money by teaching at hard-to-staff schools and they will earn more money based on some of the high-demand subjects such as chemistry and mathematics."
Chemistry and mathematics, among other subjects, are considered to have a higher market demand, and therefore teachers who specialize in them could be compensated at a higher rate. Other ways in which teachers can earn more over the long-term is by mentoring other teachers, and choosing to stay in the classroom rather than moving into administration.
The plan, known as Career Pathways for Teachers, would allow for more decisions to be made on the local level, rather than in Raleigh. Next school year, eight districts will participate in Career Pathways as a pilot project, and the following year, eight more districts will be added. The hope is that the plan will be fully implemented in the 2017-2018 school year.
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