NC teacher pay ranks 41st in nation; ranked 42nd last year

The report shows North Carolina teachers make an average of $47,985 this school year, about $10,000 less than the average U.S. teacher, who makes $58,064. The figures represent the average gross salary before deductions for things such as Social Security, retirement and insurance and do not take into account cost of living by state.

Last year, the average North Carolina teacher made $47,819, about $9,600 less than the national average of $57,420, according to NEA's newly revised numbers.

Teacher pay has been a hot topic this election year with the governor and state superintendent – both of whom are seeking re-election – touting their ideas for how much to pay teachers. And legislative leaders, some of whom are also up for re-election, recently returned to Raleigh to begin the short session where teacher pay will be discussed.

The House plans to roll out its full budget proposal Tuesday, which is expected to include raises for teachers. But how much of a raise teachers could get is still unknown. Lawmakers and education leaders who have spoken publicly about the topic have called for raises anywhere from 2 percent to the double digits.

After inflation, NC teacher pay has dropped 13% in past 15 years

"Under Governor McCrory’s leadership, North Carolina teacher pay has increased faster than any other state in the country," Catherine Truitt, McCrory’s senior education advisor, said in a statement. "We must continue this trend of improvement and adopt the governor’s strategic plan to raise average teacher pay to $50,000 plus benefits in order to make up for ground lost under previous governors to attract, retain and reward the best teachers."

Although North Carolina's teaching profession has benefited from raises the past two years, permanent increases have been largely tilted toward early career teachers as lawmakers and McCrory raised the minimum base salary to $35,000. That's led to complaints that veteran teachers have been left out.

McCrory says his latest budget proposal would provide a 3.5 percent average bonus to teachers and principals, "with a greater share going to veteran teachers. This will equate to a $5,000 bonus for our veteran teachers with more than 24 years of service."

The North Carolina Association of Educators blasted the governor's plan, calling it an election-year proposal that does "little to make up for years of disrespecting the education profession and dismantling our public schools." The NCAE has endorsed McCrory's Democratic challenger for governor, Roy Cooper.

How much to increase teacher pay, if at all, is a perennial budget issue North Carolina governors and lawmakers face. In the past 15 years, North Carolina teachers have seen average salary increases anywhere from 0 percent to more than 8 percent. At times, they have had pay freezes, no step increases and bonuses of varying amounts.

When adjusted for inflation, North Carolina's average teacher salary has dropped more than 13 percent since 1999, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The U.S. average teacher salary has dropped 1.8 percent in that same timeframe.

North Carolina hasn't always ranked near the bottom for teacher pay. During the 2001-02 school year, the state ranked 19th in the nation, less than $2,000 from 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.

The State Board of Education has set a goal for North Carolina to become No. 1 in the Southeast for teacher pay. NEA's latest report shows North Carolina is ranked ninth out of 12 states in the Southeast. Last year, the state was ranked 10th.

While average teacher pay rankings are one way to compare North Carolina to the rest of the country, education leaders say those numbers don't tell the whole story.

Alexis Schauss, director of school business for the state Department of Public Instruction, says average teacher pay does not take into account the experience level of teachers in different states. When North Carolina's average teacher pay went down in previous years, it wasn't because teachers were paid less. The population just became less experienced.

"We lost a significant number of 25-plus-year teachers," Schauss said.

"Stick with salary schedules. That’s recruiting power," Schauss said.

​Teacher salaries in North Carolina are paid both by the state government and, in many counties, by a local supplement. Wake County public schools pays its teachers nearly $7,000, the highest average supplement in the state this year. The exact amount is determined by how many years a teacher has been employed and whether they have a bachelor's or master's degree.

Durham Public Schools paid the second highest average supplement in the state this school year, nearly $6,800, followed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which also paid nearly $6,800.

Seven school systems did not pay their teachers any supplement this school year.