House Speaker Says No To 10 Percent Raise For Teachers

North Carolina's House Speaker is calling a proposed 10 percent pay hike for teachers “unrealistic”. Tim Moore made the comment at a special House committee meeting on Thursday.

State Superintendent June Atkinson floated the idea of a 10 percent raise for public school teachers this week at a House select committee meeting.

But House Speaker Moore told the same committee Thursday that the $540 million price tag was just too much.

Moore says a pay hike closer to 2 percent is more likely.

The News and Observer reports the House committee has been huddling to consider raises for teachers and how to structure them.

The House members on Thursday heard from a panel of district superintendents. They testified that legislative action on salaries could help fill teacher vacancies, which they attribute in part to low pay.

Moore says that the House isn't ready to discuss possible pay hikes because no one knows how much the state will be able to spend next year.