Senator McInnis: 'N.C. Success Story: Teacher Pay Continues to Rise'

Raleigh, N.C. – Beginning in 2014 when they provided teachers the largest raise in the country, legislative Republicans have taken historic steps to raise educator pay in North Carolina. In the last five years, Republicans have enacted five consecutive pay raises, and teacher salary increases have been at or near the highest in the nation for three of those years. 

The average base salary for a teacher in North Carolina increased by $8,700, or nearly 20 percent, since the 2014 school year. More than 40,000 teachers – close to half of all public school teachers in the state – will have received at least a $10,000 pay raise by the 2018-19 school year. In fact, over a 30-year career, a teacher will earn $237,200 more on the 2018-19 salary schedule than he or she would have earned under the old Democrat plan.

The most recently passed budget provided a 6.5-percent pay raise for teachers, the largest pay increase since 2014, and also allocated nearly $12 million to provide a permanent salary increase to veteran teachers with more than 25 years of experience. 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.

“We are committed to improving outcomes for students in North Carolina, and we’ve focused on rewarding top-performing educators who make a difference in the classroom,” said Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover). “By increasing starting pay, and providing consistent pay raises and performance bonuses, we hope to continue attracting and retaining the best teachers to prepare our children for the future.” 

In addition to the teacher pay raises, the 2018 budget also included significant raises for principals. It built upon changes made in 2017 when the General Assembly reformed the archaic, confusing principal salary schedule by providing principals a 6.9-percent increase, bringing the total base pay raise to 13.1 percent since 2016-17. The budget also funded performance bonuses of up to $20,000 for principals whose students achieve the most academic growth. 

Key Facts on Teacher Pay in North Carolina: 

• In 2018, North Carolina public school teachers received a fifth consecutive pay raise.
• The average teacher pay raise from 2013-2019 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.