Part Of The Reason NC Has Thousands Of Classroom Teaching Vacancies – Comparing NC Teacher Salaries Now to 2008-2009

Below is the salary schedule set for a teacher in North Carolina for the 2022-2023 school year. It was just approved by the governor when he signed off on the state budget.

Any teacher new to the profession in the last eight years would never be on the second schedule because newer teachers are not allowed a pay bump for graduate degrees. Notice how the salaries also plateau after year 15.

There is no longevity pay included as it does not exist for teachers any longer.

Now go back a few years before the Great Recession.

Thirteen years ago each salary step would have had an increase in pay.

All teachers, new and veteran, would have had graduate degree pay thirteen years ago.

All veteran teachers would have received longevity pay thirteen years ago above and beyond what the salary schedule said.

Now imagine if that same schedule was in play for teachers today and adjusted for inflation.

Oh, and now new teachers will not be able to have retiree health benefits.

That might help explain why there are 21,000 classroom teaching vacancies in NC according to Teach NC Jobs.