NCAE
NEWS BULLETIN June
2016
NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS
Volume 46, No. 10
Lawmakers’ Work to Hash Out Final Budget Begins
The last few weeks have been dominated by the House and Senate approving and passing their respective budgets, which include pay raises for educators. It is an election year after all. However, the proposed budgets are woefully short on the resources our students need to be successful. The combined $22.2 billion budget is making its way to a conference committee for differences to be hashed out for proposal of a final budget. One of the controversial highlights of the budget includes pay raises for teachers depending on years of experience, which once again shortchanges experienced teachers and other education professionals who help our students be successful. Before
passing it on a party line vote, Senate Democrats unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill to make some of the bonuses permanent, add a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees, and to shift a $135 million private school voucher reserve to one for public school textbooks and digital resources. “NCAE has been consistently beating the drum that for students to be more successful, we must invest fully in our public schools by increasing resources students have and by compensating educators as professionals,” said NCAE President-Elect Mark Jewell. “Now that it’s an election year, Senate leaders are trying to play catch-up on teacher pay, but they have gone backwards in some areas with cuts to restore for at-risk
students and technology for our classrooms. “Senate leaders continue a trend of devaluing our most experienced teachers by shortchanging them on raises and also don’t value the whole community of education professionals it takes to make our public schools successful. Instead of investing in our public school students, Senate leaders continue to set artificial spending limits and set aside huge amounts in the state’s Rainy Day Fund when it’s a rainy day for many of our public schools!” To see a comparison of the salary schedules proposed by the governor, House, and Senate, click here.