Some Friendly Reminders When Discussing the Eternal Topic | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Dr. Robert Luebke.

    Teacher pay; in North Carolina, it's the topic that never goes away.

    Last week the State Board of Education, approved a resolution asking lawmakers to support teacher pay raises in excess of 10 percent or more.

    How much would it cost to adopt such a proposal?

    People in the know tell me a pay raise of 1 percent for teachers costs North Carolina about $69 million dollars. A ten percent pay raise, costs North Carolina approximately $690 million.

    How much is $690 million? Last year (2021-22), total current operating expenditures for Forsyth County Schools, .the fourth largest school district in North Carolina, was. $679 million.

    Yes, North Carolina teachers deserve to be fairly compensated. Why so many feel they aren't are tied to factors beyond the scope of this post. Still, before the annual discussion in teacher pay begins, I'd like to interject two points.

    First, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, average teacher pay in the state was $57,805 in 2022-23, that's up from $56,001 last year. North Carolina average teacher pay ranks third in the Southeast.

    Second, let's not forget since 2020, North Carolina has received $6.2 billion in federal covid relief funds. According to data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina has spent about $4 billion, about $1.9 billion has been spent on salaries.. Of that amount, almost $1.1 billion was spent on "Bonus Pay", another $343 million was allocated for "Employee Benefits."

    Third, any honest discussion about teacher pay must also include a discussion on benefits. Like most places, the cost of benefits in North Carolina has been rising. That trend significantly impacts how much state and local communities can spend on teachers.

    In 2022-23, the average teacher in North Carolina earned $57,805 in salary. In addition, teachers received health insurance ($7,397) retirement benefits ($14, 162) and of course, social security contributions,($4,422). Adding those totals produces a benefits package valued at $25,981.

    That means the average teacher has a total compensation package - salary and benefits - of $83,786.

    In 2013, the value of benefits for the average salary was $15,243. Today it's almost $26,000.

    Yes, what and how we pay teachers is important. Discussions however which only talk about pay raises and ignore the rising cost of benefits do a disservice to the public they purport to serve.
Go Back

HbAD0

Latest State and Federal

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that the only campaign promise President Joe Biden has delivered on as president is the complete dismantling of the U.S. southern border.
Hamas is reeling after losing two of their most cherished leaders on the same day: military commander Saleh al-Arouri, and Harvard President Claudine Gay.
President Joe Biden’s brother told the Internal Revenue Service that Hunter Biden told him he was in business with a “protege of President Xi,” referring to the leader of China, according to notes by an IRS investigator that were divulged during a congressional interview of Jim Biden.
That’s the question Marguerite Roza of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab sought to answer in a recent webinar on the topic.
The University of Florida has fired all of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employees and shut down its DEI office.
Glenn Beck: 'When the United States government can come after individuals, that's when you know our republic is crumbling.'
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) reportedly blasted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for “stonewalling” details about the illegal immigrant accused of murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia college student.
“The Biden administration's plan in the Middle East is to hand over power to the Palestinian Authority, which literally pays the families of terrorists who murder Jews.”

HbAD1

Two Democratic members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are ranked among the most likely to be picked off in 2024, according to a new analysis from Roll Call.
Former President Donald Trump dominated the North Dakota Republican Caucus on Monday as he continues to inch closer to officially securing the party’s presidential nomination.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is launching a Community Partner Engagement Plan to ensure the voices of North Carolina communities and families continue to be at the center of the department’s work.
The Pentagon official helped lead an organization that pushed 'transgender day of visibility' in the military
Former President Donald Trump filed an appeal to overturn a Democrat judge’s decision to remove him from the presidential ballot in Illinois.
Republican officials continued their probe of BlackRock this week, saying that the financial giant has not been forthcoming about how climate activists are shaping its policies, according to a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire.
Former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro on Monday was ordered to report to federal prison next week for the four-month-long sentence he was given after he did not show up for a deposition with the January 6 Committee in February 2022.
A national report card on hospital patient safety has ranked North Carolina in third place among hospitals in the U.S. that had mostly “A” ratings when it comes to patient safety, up from sixth place this past spring.

HbAD2

 
Back to Top