Earlier today, Senate President Phil Berger announced a proposed teacher pay plan to make North Carolina more competitive in attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers. Sen. Berger shared details of the plan that would be the largest teacher pay raise in state history, providing North Carolina public school teachers an average 11.2 percent permanent pay raise beginning July 1. The plan would replace the current 37-step system with an entirely new base scale system. Click here for plan details.

While this plan moves North Carolina in the right direction to strengthen our education and talent supply system, we have not been provided details on how this initiative will be funded, and will fully evaluate the plan once those details are released. However, the policy outlined demonstrates an alignment with North Carolina Vision 2030.

The business community recognizes the integral role teachers have in preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow and we can’t afford to lose them to other states; therefore, teaching must be an attractive career path in North Carolina. We remain supportive of legislative leadership and Governor McCrory as they work to support public education in our state. As the conversation around teacher pay reform continues, our team will remain engaged and keep you updated.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber