 |
The second largest school system in North Carolina has formally asked members of the General Assembly to provide additional raises for school employees in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 — following the legislature’s failure to pass an updated budget during the short session.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education sent General Assembly leaders the request last Thursday, asking that the legislature pass a budget amendment that includes at least a 5% pay increase for certified and non-certified employees for the 2024-25 school year.
“Our teachers deserve it. Our staff deserve it,” the letter says. “And most importantly… our students deserve it.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools serves more than 140,000 K-12 students, and 3,660 pre-K students. According to the district, nearly 30% of students are Hispanic, 25% white, 36% Black, 7% Asian, 3% multicultural, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian.
The school district employs 20,306 people across 184 schools, according to December 2023 data.
A new fiscal year started on July 1 without an updated budget.
The North Carolina House and Senate both passed their individual updated budget proposals for FY 2024-25, but conflicting spending priorities between the chambers resulted in the delay of a new compromise budget.
While the House budget included additional raises for school employees during FY 2024-25, the Senate’s proposal did not.
In June — before adjourning — the General Assembly passed a bill to confirm funding for school employee pay during the new fiscal year. That funding provides an average 3% raise for most school employees during the fiscal year, with larger raises given to beginning teachers.
The State Board of Education recently approved salary schedules for school employees for FY 2024-25. The salary schedule document outlines the raises originally passed in the 2023 budget, and confirmed in June.
A resolution said the General Assembly would reconvene on July 10, July 29, Sept. 9, Oct. 9, and Nov. 19, and Dec. 11.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education is asking the General Assembly to pass an additional raise when it convenes on Sept. 9.
Here is a look at what the resolution says legislators can discuss during that meeting.
The board’s letter notes that the inflation rate for North Carolina over the last year is approximately 3.8%, according to the N.C. Commerce Department.
With an average 3% raise this year, the board said this means most teachers will see a reduction in their pay when accounting for inflation.
“The North Carolina General Assembly is reducing teacher pay in real dollars,” the letter says. “These same teachers that are working tirelessly on behalf of the approximate 1.4 million students in our schools should not be forced to take a pay cut due to political discord outside of their control.”
