Teacher Pay

On the next Charlotte Talks local news roundup, North Carolina’s budget passes and is signed, sealed and delivered. We dive into the details. Heat continues to plague much of the country including our state where heat indices soared to triple digits, leading to power outages. Plus, a new state law eliminates mandatory parking minimums for the majority of new developments. We examine the possible impact.

The General Assembly passed its long-awaited budget last week with bipartisan support — the first in more than two years. The $34 billion plan includes teacher pay raises and additional money for Hurricane Helene recovery, but it also contains a provision that would force Charlotte and other governments to repay money already spent on the rejected I-77 toll lanes.

The State Board of Education met in Raleigh on Wednesday for the first time since lawmakers announced plans for an average 8% raise in teacher pay.

Hundreds of teachers called out of work to hold protests across North Carolina today in support of better teacher pay and the lack of a state budget, which has stymied potential raises for state employees like educators.

Union County Public Schools celebrated becoming the highest-performing school district in North Carolina. Two months later, the district is embroiled in a bitter dispute over teacher pay.

Thursday night, the school board approved the $1,000 supplement amid rumblings of teacher protests.

WUNC's series "From Politics to Paychecks" explores how political decisions are affecting NC educators' finances. This teacher is paring back because the state offers no raise to veteran teachers.

When Union County passed its budget earlier this spring, the Board of Commissioners thought it was funding $1,000 teacher raises. So far, that hasn’t happened.

We sit down with superintendents of Iredell-Statesville, Cabarrus County and Union County schools for back-to-school season. These three districts face their own changes and challenges this year. We’ll discuss everything from budgets and funding to student safety and closing the learning gap.

Teachers will feel the pinch as extra pay from federal pandemic aid disappears in the coming school year.