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Here are some of the other stories catching our attention.

NC House Budget Raises Teacher Pay But Less Than Gov. Hoped

North Carolina General Assembly

Republican leaders in the North Carolina House have released the details of their proposed budget for the state. And while it does include teacher raises, the House plan would spend less on teachers than what Governor Pat McCrory wants.

The $22.2 billion House budget represents an increase in state spending of roughly 2.3 percent. And it includes some items not found in the governor’s proposed spending plan, like a 2 percent raise and $500 bonus for most state workers.

But to pay for those plans, House budget writers propose roughly $100 million less in teacher raises than what the governor has called for.

Those raises would be doled out in a six tiered system. With the newest and most experienced teachers receiving the least. Teachers with less than five years in the classroom would see a $1,000 bonus but no raise and those with 25+ years in the classroom would see a salary bump of just 2 percent. Mid-career teachers fare better, seeing raised between 3.4 percent to 5 percent.

Today, the House’s various finance and appropriations committees will debate the measure, with floor votes on the budget expected by the end of the week.

Tom Bullock decided to trade the khaki clad masses and traffic of Washington DC for Charlotte in 2014. Before joining WFAE, Tom spent 15 years working for NPR. Over that time he served as everything from an intern to senior producer of NPR’s Election Unit. Tom also spent five years as the senior producer of NPR’s Foreign Desk where he produced and reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon among others. Tom is looking forward to finally convincing his young daughter, Charlotte, that her new hometown was not, in fact, named after her.