There are some numbers, charts and rumors floating around out there about NC and teacher salaries. Just like with the protests at the General Assembly where most people didn’t bother to read the bill, but preferred instead to believe hyperbolic signage, we have people out there who have not looked at teacher pay, benefits or related documentation.
Well, those folks cannot claim ignorant bliss any longer. Fact Bombs below!
*NOTE: This is not an assault on teachers, but is an examination of the narrative being put forth by various groups.
The Real Salary Averages
The estimated average teacher’s salary in NC per DPI is $45,938. Not the very lowest baseline number of $30,800 or similar that you see on the NEA site, Twitter or Facebook statuses. That low-ball number is taken from the salary schedule of the very lowest starting salary. See NC Teacher Salary Schedules below for more details, but here is what the breakout of teacher degree levels looks like in NC per DPI:
The bulk of teachers have a bachelors – 71%, which the protesters say is $30,800 yet the DPI says the average salary is $45,938. Perhaps that is because the bulk of that 71% are well beyond entry-level. To be sure, $30,800 seems low, however the median household income in NC (2011) is $43,916. The national average median household income was $50,502.
DPI measured that $45,938 against average the average salary nationwide of $55,418 and placed NC 46th in ranking. it is unclear if this number adjusted for cost of living or just put up against the other averages, but it is very clear the average teacher seems to make more than the national median household income. It is also clear that the average teacher in NC according to DPI ($45,938), makes more than median NC household ($43,916). Also worth noting, there are two tiers of pay per degree level. Below are the entry-level starting salaries:
Note that NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards) adds a healthy lift to each level? I would be willing to bet most teachers are NBPTS certified given DPI’s own numbers. There there are the benefits to think about: Microsoft Word – 2013 Policy Manual Word File-Final-AE.doc – NCPublicSchoolspolicymanual.pdf
Makes you wonder what the top dogs make and have in their benefit packages, right? Well, here are their salaries (below). Dr. Atkinson made sure she got a raise of $1,478.00 last year too. She now makes exactly the same as the Lt. Governor. Look them up for yourself at the News and Observer.
By the way, spending per pupil in NC is $8,436, yet over 90% of the education budget is spent on salaries and benefits to the tune of $9,802,610,275. This spending number includes adjustments for growth per the state budget. More information, including FAST FACTS and Teacher Salary Schedules can be found below.
UPDATE — None of my above figures included benefits as seen here:
Avg teacher base pay is $45,947 + avg of $4,931 health benefits, $5,383 pension, and $3,139 SS. #ncpol #rednc #NCEd http://t.co/ReCdU0Swkj
— Thom Tillis (@thomtillis) August 10, 2013
That makes the average reported by DPI really $59,390.
Also:
@GandEmsMama @thomtillis Charlotte pay schedule shows 10 yr Masters teacher/base pay at $40,820.00 + 6,339.50 supplement = $47,159.50 #ncga
— T Bradley (@TBradleyNC) August 11, 2013
Related and Useful Links:
But..But..Moral Monday Told Me…
State government salaries | State Politics | NewsObserver.com
NCTeaState.pdf (State Treasurer)
North Carolina Office of the State Controller
NBPTS press release and more archive numbers.
Education Spending: THE FACTS.
FAST FACTS:
NC TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULES:
Updates, corrections or additions can be sent to TheLL1885@gmail.com
THANK YOU TO Carolina Plott Hound for linking!
LL1885 
LL1885, You MAY want to add this little clip to the above blog post. Just a suggestion. Keep up the great work my fellow Patriot.
http://vimeo.com/72047830
Respectfully submitted by SD2010.
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HEH, I have that one in another piece. Might make a nice add on here though. THANKS 😀
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LL1885: The questions you pose in this post are all openly available.
Re: $30,800. Any teacher hired in NC within the past six years is making at or around this rate, since pay has been frozen that long. The average ends up being $45k because there are plenty of teachers who were near the top of the scale before the GA froze pay and cut the pay schedule. Here’s a comparison between the previous pay scale and the new pay scale: http://i.imgur.com/eJM8s53.jpg The GOP overrode Purdue’s veto to get this new scale, so they own it. Here’s the net effect of these two policies: http://i.imgur.com/2OfX5BD.jpg
Re: comparing median teacher income to median NC income. How is it informative to compare teachers to the population as a whole? Only ~1/3 of the NC population has a college degree. Compare teaching to careers also requiring 4-year degrees, and you’ll see that teachers fare much worse.
Re: most teachers being Nat’ Board certified. You’re off by quite a bit. The number is about 20%
Re: this not being an assault on teachers. Certainly not– just throwing them under the bus.
NC teachers are underpaid by any measure available. You can blame Democrats for a lot of it, but they were balancing a budget at the bottom of the recession. Now that revenues are rising, what’s the GOP’s excuse?
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Hello,
I’m glad to see you didn’t absorb much of what I wrote, nor why I wrote it.
Re: $30,800. Any teacher hired in NC within the past six years is making at or around this rate, since pay has been frozen that long. The average ends up being $45k because there are plenty of teachers who were near the top of the scale before the GA froze pay and cut the pay schedule.
“Here’s a comparison between the previous pay scale and the new pay scale: http://i.imgur.com/eJM8s53.jpg The GOP overrode Purdue’s veto to get this new scale, so they own it. “
If I’m reading that right, teachers get more money under the GOP version that they overrode Perdue to get. I am sure they will gladly own that.
“Re: comparing median teacher income to median NC income. How is it informative to compare teachers to the population as a whole? Only ~1/3 of the NC population has a college degree. Compare teaching to careers also requiring 4-year degrees, and you’ll see that teachers fare much worse.”
The NEA did that comparison and it seemed to work just fine for their narrative purposes, yet when the coin is flipped to compare it with median salaries in NC, it is not a valid comparison? Please.
71% fall into the Bachelor range yet DPI lists the average salary at over 45k. My point here is that there are many teachers who have been in the system quite a while on a pay scale they are only NOW decrying. The talking points right now making it sound like the bulk of our teachers were still at the lowest base rate. That’s patently false.
NB Certified at 20%? I admit I had trouble finding that data. Please share your source.
“Re: this not being an assault on teachers. Certainly not– just throwing them under the bus.”
Ah, here comes the #ShutUppery
“NC teachers are underpaid by any measure available. You can blame Democrats for a lot of it, but they were balancing a budget at the bottom of the recession. Now that revenues are rising, what’s the GOP’s excuse? “
You mean any measure supporting your narrative. Yes, I can blame democrats just like you blamed a recession. It was their spending habits, not the recession that hamstringed them. The GOP needs no excuse, you provided the proof they raised pay despite Perdue’s veto: http://i.imgur.com/eJM8s53.jpg
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“If I’m reading that right, teachers get more money under the GOP version that they overrode Perdue to get. I am sure they will gladly own that.”
You aren’t reading that right. At every step, teachers are making less under the new schedule.
At 5 years: ’08: $35,380; ’13: $30,800
At 10 years: ’08: $39,180; ’13: 35,800
At 15 years: ’08: 41, 760; ’13: $39,650
etc…
That is, if teachers were allowed to progress at all, but recall that out salaries are frozen.
“to compare it with median salaries in NC, it is not a valid comparison? Please.”
You’re being purposefully obtuse. If the average North Carolinian doesn’t hold a degree– why should teacher pay be compared to the average North Carolinian?
Citation for National Board certification figures: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2012-13/20130108-01
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““If I’m reading that right, teachers get more money under the GOP version that they overrode Perdue to get. I am sure they will gladly own that.”
You aren’t reading that right.”
You’re right, I looked at the columns wrong. Thanks for pointing that out.
Reminder: Salaries have been frozen for several years, going back to Perdue, yet NOW it is an issue. Timely political games. Prior to that, Teachers got increases when other state employees did not. By the way, the numbers I supplied do not include their benefits package values. None of these calculations takes into account the tax overhaul program either.
I’m being crystal clear. I made no comparison to non-degree holders. In fact, I pointed out that 71% hold bachelors, why should they not be compared to the rest of the workforce that also holds a similar degree? If that’s not what you’re trying to imply, then perhaps I am not the one being obtuse.
Thanks for that citation. I’ll link to it in the article.
“Nationwide, 4,980 teachers and counselors received National Board Certification, bringing the national total to 102,237. North Carolina accounts for almost 20 percent of the nation’s National Board Certified Teachers. Florida is the next closest state with 13,634 followed by South Carolina (8,435), Washington (6,739) and California (5,636).”
So, NC has 19,799 certified – the most of any state. There are 95,645 teachers. Of that 1,284 do not have a bachelors or advanced degree. Note NBPTS’s salary differences only start with Bachelors and up in the salary schedule:
Click to access 2013-14schedules.pdf
I see where the 20% came from now. What a coincidence that NC makes up 20% of the national average and close to the same instate. 20.98% I think, if I did the math right based on the salaried bachelor and up number.
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Did your research uncover any details about HOW teachers will be paid? What conditions would a teacher have to meet to receive a four year contract? Is the decision to extend a four year contract an administrative one or left to the school board? Am I correct in gathering that only 25% of a district’s teachers will receive a four year contract? Would that in itself engender an atmosphere of cut throat competition amongst teachers? We are encouraged to collaborate in public education; I’m not sure what is being planned here will foster a sense of the true collaboration best for our students. Would one share a successful lesson that produced results with another teacher if that teacher uses it successfully and bumps one out of a 4 year contract? Remember – only 25 % of a districts teachers get them. This seems like an excellent business model that would motivate a sales force where adult concerns are at stake. But here we have children’s concerns at stake, concerns that benefit from collaboration and cooperation.
Do you know any of the details of the Governor’s Master Teacher Plan? Is this position chosen by peers? 1000 for the state? Is there any criteria for this yet? Again, this seems to engender a spirit of competition among teachers ( or worse – a popularity contest much like a student body election) for the attached 10k stipend when what is truly needed is a spirit of collaboration and cooperation.
For good or bad, I’ve been following the #NCGA, #NCPOL, and #NCED for policy updates. Those that tweet there seem to only have a sense of the broad ideas of reforming public education. I’m looking for a source that knows and has truly considered the boots on the ground details and implications of NCGA and our governor’s policies and legislation. I’ve got a sinking feeling that the details will be ironed out on the fly with no thought for long term consequences.
I will be beginning my 26th year as an educator in public schools and have both my K-12 Master’s in Gifted Ed. and a NBCT certification in Adolescent Social Studies. I am appalled by the lack of understanding and simplicity in the views of what happens in the state’s classrooms from day to day.
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These are all excellent questions.
My research for this article was strictly looking that the figures being passed around by Moral Monday and their protester mouthpieces. However, much of what you might be asking is in Senate Bill 361. http://ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=sb+361&submitButton=Go
Section Ҥ 115C-325.3. deals with Contracts.
No I do not have access to the ‘Master Plan’ but have it on my radar to keep after.
As to competition, locked in contracts I would think have a negative impact on competition. Collaboration in education has been a dual edged blade — with the dull side being competition and a’cut-throat’ atmosphere. It is correct that long term contracts will be granted to top performers. I have yet to see the criteria being used to assess that other than it is up to the superintendent for that district according to SB 361.
As to the implications of the policies being enacted, we’ve gone in the opposite direction for decades and have not gotten the results desired. I am open to change, choice and more discussion. Discussion and transparency are not in the DPI repetoire it would seem as evidenced by Common Core being dropped on NC parents.
I’ve gleaned a snapshot of the day to day struggles in the classroom but know there is a broader picture. I’ve watched good teachers struggle and crappy ones coast along, all the while the bloated bureaucratic positions above them grow like weeds. Personally, I think teachers should be top paid positions in society. I say that though with the caveat that results must match said pay. If a professional anything doesn’t pull their weight or produce results, do we tolerate that? Should we tolerate that in the most important area of education?
I hope I answered some of your questions and appreciate you taking time to stop in and comment.
God bless you for your 26 years of service.
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