NCAE
NEWS BULLETIN August
2016
NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS
Volume 47, No. 1
Budget Could Have Done More for Public Ed NCAE Helped Stave Off the Following Legislation Setting retirement age at 65. Elimination of the 15-point school grading system. Elimination of sick leave for additional retirement service credit. TABOR-like laws to cap income taxes and make the state’s emergency savings account nearly impossible to use. This would have permanently damaged public education. (Click here to see the entire list).
The $22.3 billion budget passed by lawmakers during the “short session” has been signed by Governor McCrory and is now law. Included is an average 4.7 percent increase for teachers, but it continues to shortchange the state’s experienced teachers, public school personnel, and retired educators. About 4,000 of our most experienced teachers were completely snubbed, receiving no raise or bonus whatsoever. At the last minute, the House passed a technical corrections bill to fix this snub but the Senate left without taking it up. This affects teachers who have recently received ‘hold harmless payments’ because the salary schedule for a bachelor’s degree was greater than $50,000 prior to 2013-14, and also due to longevity payments that were rolled into the salary schedule a few years ago. “NCAE has consistently beaten the drum that for students to be successful,
the state must fully invest in our public schools by increasing the resources they need and by compensating educators as professionals,” said NCAE President Mark Jewell. “Now that it’s an election year, some in the General Assembly are trying to make you forget about the previous actions that have disrespected the profession. Instead of investing in our public schools and students, this budget sets an artificial spending limit and sets aside nearly half a billion dollars in the state’s Rainy Day Fund when technically, it is already a rainy day for public school students. It also earmarks nearly $35 million for private school vouchers, which is three times the amount invested in textbooks for our 1.5 million students. It’s about priorities. The priority should be our public school classrooms, not our corporate board rooms.” ESPs, Central Office staff, and schoolbased administrators will receive a 1.5
percent permanent raise and a .5 percent bonus. Non-educator LEA personnel will be eligible for merit-based bonuses that average around 1 percent. Some will get more and some will get less or nothing with the criteria to be established by the employing agency. Retirees will receive a 1.6 percent one-time cost-of-living (COLA) bonus. Before adjourning, lawmakers also advanced some high-profile legislation. Two of the most disappointing were the Achievement School District pilot project and the repeal of House Bill 2, which was never heard. But despite these setbacks, the Association was instrumental in helping to stop some bad policies from becoming law. To view a detailed teacher salary schedule, click here. To see the complete set of salary schedules, click here. To view a copy of the budget, visit www.ncleg.net.