NC educators' demands: What they want and how lawmakers have responded

When the North Carolina Association of Educators led a march of approximately 20,000 people at the State Capitol last May, the group brought a list of five demands for lawmakers. Now, a year later, the group is organizing another rally with more demands for education funding. Here's a look back at what educators wanted, how lawmakers responded and what requests educators have for the future.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Apr 28, 2019 — Updated 3:36 a.m. Apr 29, 2019

Kelly Hinchcliffe, WRAL education reporter,

and

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — When the North Carolina Association of Educators led a march of approximately 20,000 people at the State Capitol last May, the group brought a list of five demands for lawmakers. Now, a year later, the group is organizing another rally with more demands for education funding.

Here's a look back at what educators wanted, how lawmakers responded and what requests educators have for the future.

May 1 teacher rally: Who, where, when, why

NCAE's 2018 priorities

1. "Significant investment in per-pupil spending so our students have the resources to be successful."

A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in March found that protests by teachers and others last year "helped lead to substantial increases in school funding in Arizona, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, four of the 12 states that had cut school 'formula' funding — the primary state revenue source for schools — most deeply over the last decade. Despite last year’s improvements, however, formula funding remains well below 2008 levels in these states."

Raleigh parks, YMCA offer child care to families during May 1 teacher protest

North Carolina's per-student, inflation-adjusted state funding rose 3 percent, but "is still well below pre-recession levels,"according to the report.

"North Carolina’s legislature increased funding for schools without raising new revenue to do so, even though the state faces a revenue shortfall next year for covering ongoing needs, primarily due to unsustainable income tax cuts that began to take effect in 2014. Those tax cuts did not fully phase in until January 1, 2019, masking their cost until now. North Carolina’s legislative budget experts have projected that the state will face a structural shortfall of $1.2 billion in 2020, rising to $1.4 billion in 2022.[4] Because the state constitution requires a balanced budget, lawmakers will need to raise new revenue, cut spending deeply, or both, jeopardizing the sustainability of last year’s K-12 funding increases," the researchers wrote.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger says Republican lawmakers have increased education spending every year since winning legislative majorities in 2011. He has criticized the NCAE as a "far-left" organization with a "goal of electing more Democrats."

2. "A multi-year professional pay plan for educators, education support professionals, administrators and all other school personnel. This plan must include restoration of compensation for advanced degrees and longevity. The plan must also stop the flat-lining of experienced educator’s pay."

North Carolina currently ranks 29th in the nation for teacher pay and second in the Southeast with an average salary of $53,975, according to estimates released in March by the National Education Association. Last year, North Carolina was 34th with an average teacher salary of $51,231 – more than $9,000 below the national average of $60,462.

Republican lawmakers praised the news as an "impressive accomplishment," given North Carolina's ranking of 47th in the nation five years ago.

In a statement, Berger said: "The facts don’t lie: Republican leadership has been great for teachers. North Carolina Republicans have increased teacher pay for five consecutive years, and in the last two years we increased salaries by 9.9 percent."

North Carolina Association of Educators President Mark Jewell wants lawmakers to raise teacher pay even more and says it "must remain a top priority."

“In order to restore respect for the profession, and recruit and retain the best and most diverse teaching force for our students, the state must invest in professional salaries for all educators," Jewell said.

In his budget proposal, Gov. Roy Cooper recommended 9.1 percent average raises for teachers over the next two years, with every teacher getting at least 3 percent. His plan includes raises for veteran teachers and would restore master's pay and prevent teachers from having to pay for their own substitutes when they take a personal day.

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson released his own budget plan and proposed raising teacher pay by 5 to 7 percent. In an interview with the "Education Matters" TV show, he said the state needs "to be aggressive."

Teacher salaries in North Carolina are paid by the state government and, in many counties, by a local supplement.

During the 2001-02 school year, North Carolina ranked 19th in the nation for teacher pay when its pay was within $2,000 of the then-national average of $44,655, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

In 2013-14, North Carolina hit its lowest rank in more than a decade – 47th in the nation, with teachers paid nearly $12,000 below the national average of $56,610.

A Senate bill filed in February would restore master's degree and doctoral pay for some of North Carolina's public school teachers. Lawmakers cut the pay in 2013.

Senate bill would restore master's pay for some teachers

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, and Rick Horner, R-Johnston, has received praise from some Democrats and the North Carolina Association of Educators. However, NCAE leaders say they want master's pay fully restored to previous levels.

The current bill would raise pay for teachers who obtain a graduate degree only in their area of teaching. In the past, teachers got a 10 percent pay bump from the state for having a master's degree.

3. "Investing in the health and well-being of our students and making schools safer through increased school nurses, counselors, social workers and other support personnel and expansion of Medicaid to improve the health of our communities."

According to the North Carolina Nurses Association, the state falls behind the national average of one nurse to every 750 students.

North Carolina has, on average, one school nurse for every 1,086 public school students, according to a study released in 2018 by the General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division. The ratios range from as low as one nurse for every 319 students to as high as one for every 2,242 students.

The average nurse covers two to three schools, but some cover as many as six. Five school systems in the state have one nurse dedicated to every school (Edenton/Chowan, Kannapolis City, Pamlico County, Roanoke Rapids City and Thomasville City), according to the study. The state would need to dedicate up to $79 million a year to meet the recommended school nurse-to-student ratio.

Republican lawmakers say reports published by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services show that the student-to-nurse ratio in North Carolina "has improved every single year Republicans controlled the legislature, and has dropped by more than 140 students per nurse since 2010."

"In 2010, the ratio was 1,201 students for every nurse. In 2018, it was 1,055 students for every nurse," Berger said in a statement. "Also, the student-to-nurse ratio was better under Republican control than any year of Democratic control going back to the beginning of this century, the last year for which data is readily available."

North Carolina's student-to-counselor ratio is 368 to 1, which is 19 percent better than the national average of 455 to 1, Berger said, citing the U.S. Department of Education's 2017 National Center for Education Statistics data.

"The NCAE misleadingly tells the public that North Carolina's ratio is higher than the 'national standard,' which is determined by the national association that advocates for more funding for school counselors," Berger said.

4. "Fix our crumbling schools and large class sizes with a Statewide School Construction Bond."

How to pay for school construction is likely to be a top negotiating topic during this year's session between Cooper and GOP lawmakers.

House Republicans back a $1.9 billion school construction bond that would be put on the 2020 ballot.

Statewide school construction bond clears House

The $1.5 billion earmarked for public schools – the University of North Carolina system and state community colleges would each get $200 million from the bond, if approved by voters – would be allocated using a formula that balances school population, growth and income, with each county getting at least $10 million.

The Wake County Public School System would get the most money under the proposal, at $109.6 million, while Durham Public Schools would get the $10 million minimum and Cumberland County Schools would get $37 million.

Senate Republicans have offered an alternative pay-as-you-go model that wouldn't include issuing debt, but rather would set aside additional tax collections that senators say would generate $2 billion each for K-12 schools, UNC and community colleges over nine years.

Cooper included a $3.9 billion bond in his budget proposal. More than half would go to public schools, with $500 million each to UNC and community college campuses and most of the rest for local infrastructure projects.

5. "Prioritize classrooms and not corporate board rooms."

Last year, Cooper called for freezing tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals to free up money to give every public school teacher in North Carolina a raise of at least 5 percent. The legislature declined, but teachers did get raises.

This year, a major tax cut working its way through the legislature would save businesses about $250 million a year. Republicans say business tax cuts have grown and will continue to grow the economy as well as state tax revenues.

Planned tax cut would save NC businesses $250M

Senate Bill 622 would also cut personal income taxes by increasing the state's standard deduction, a tactic the Republican-controlled legislature has used several years running to lower taxes. The measure also includes language meant to help the state collect more than $100 million a year in internet sales taxes, as well as tax break extensions for NASCAR and airlines, both of which enjoy sales tax exemptions that would be extended until 2024 under the bill.

Cooper has come out against the bill, opening another front in what was already expected to be a big fight over the state budget. All told, the state would take in about $200 million less a year if the legislation passes, with most of the impact coming from step-downs in the state's franchise tax, long a target for businesses hoping for reform.

NCAE's 2019 priorities

Looking forward, the NCAE has identified the following priorities for this year's rally on May 1:

Provide enough school librarians, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, and other health professionals to meet national professional-to-student standards.
Provide a $15 minimum wage for all school personnel, a 5 percent raise for all ESPs (non-certified staff), teachers, administrators, and a 5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for retirees.
Expand Medicaid.
Reinstate state retiree health benefits eliminated by the General Assembly in 2017.
Restore advanced degree compensation stripped by the General Assembly in 2013.

Suggest A Correction