Educators to Receive Pay Raises in Upcoming North Carolina Budget

Plan Includes Fifth Consecutive Increase for Teachers

Raleigh, N.C. – North Carolina public school teachers and principals will receive substantial permanent pay raises and have multiple opportunities to earn thousands of dollars in additional compensation for helping students succeed in the classroom as part of the upcoming state budget that is scheduled to be released Monday evening.

Overall, the budget will direct close to $350 million toward compensation increases for teachers, principals and school employees and will include:

  • An average 6.5 percent pay raise for teachers, which will bring the increase to average teacher pay to nearly 20 percent since the 2013-14 school year.
  • Nearly $12 million to provide a permanent salary increase to veteran teachers with more than 25 years of experience.
  • An additional $22 million for performance-based bonuses to top-performing 4th and 5th grade reading teachers and 4th-8th grade math teachers whose students achieve the most academic growth.
  • A 6.9 percent increase to the principal salary schedule, which will bring the total increase to principals’ base pay to 13.1 percent since the 2016-17 school year.
  • Funding for performance bonuses for principals whose students achieve the most academic growth. Under the agreement, principals could earn bonuses of up to $20,000 on top of their base salaries.
  • More than $28 million to provide a 2 percent pay raise to other school employees.

The increases fulfill legislative Republicans’ commitment to providing a fifth consecutive teacher pay raise in North Carolina. And despite Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of last year’s budget, the state’s teacher salaries are among the fastest rising in the country.

According to the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division, the average teacher salary for the 2018-19 school year will be roughly $53,700. This follows previous gains made under Republican leadership that include increasing starting teacher pay to $35,000 and raising average teacher pay to $50,000 for the first time in state history.

“Republicans are taking historic steps to raise teacher pay in North Carolina and to reward the excellent performance of educators who make a real difference for our students in the classroom,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland.)

“We are proud this budget delivers a fifth consecutive teacher pay raise without raising taxes.”

 

Key Facts on Teacher Pay in North Carolina

 In 2018, North Carolina public school teachers will receive a fifth consecutive pay raise.

  • The average teacher pay raise from 2014-2019 will be approximately $8,700, a 19.3 percent increase.
  • A teacher with five years of experience will earn $9,200 more in base pay in 2018-19 than they did in 2013-14 – from $30,800 to $40,000. That’s a 29.9 percent increase.
  • A teacher with twelve years of experience will earn $15,330 more in base pay in 2018-19 than they did in 2013-14 – from $31,670 to $47,000. That’s a 48 percent increase.
  • A teacher with sixteen years of experience will earn $12,890 more in base pay in 2018-19 than they did in 2013-14 – from $37,110 to $50,000. That’s a 34.7 percent increase.
  • A teacher with twenty-five years of experience will earn $9,740 more in base pay in 2018-19 than they did in 2013-14 – from $42,260 to $52,000. That’s a 23 percent increase.
  • Close to half of all public school teachers in the state will receive at least a $10,000 pay raise compared to 2014 by the 2018-19 school year.