Last week, the N.C. Association of School Administrators (NCASA) held its annual conference on educational leadership. The NCASA hosts the conference to bring together school leaders from across North Carolina to share best practices and speak about the state of education at large.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and State Superintendent Mo Green were in attendance this year, speaking about state budget priorities and public schools. According to EdNC, Gov. Stein talked about his newly released state budget, which would raise teachers’ compensation 10.6% over the next two years, give higher raises for beginning teachers, restore master’s pay, and give smaller raises to administrators and other school staff.
“When your starting teacher pay is lower than Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina — all the states that border us — it makes it a lot harder to recruit teachers into this profession,” Gov. Stein told the attendees. “It is an embarrassment. We can and must do better.”
According to a report from the National Education Association, North Carolina is ranked 42nd in the nation for average teacher starting salary and 38th for average teacher pay.
Gov. Stein’s budget features tax cuts for working families, support for low-performing districts, and funding to provide free breakfast to all public school students, and
“One in five children in this state do not get enough food to eat on a daily basis,” Gov. Stein said. “One in three in rural areas do not get enough to eat.”
Gov. Stein’s budget also includes investments for schools to hire more psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counselors in elementary and middle schools to help address student mental health.
“Our state has underinvested in school social workers, school nurses, school counselors, and school psychologists for too long,” Gov. Stein said. “Let’s make sure that students have the support staff that they need to improve our kids’ mental health and help them thrive.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green thanked educators and encouraged education leaders to make do on their promises of excellence.
“I’m not worried about obstacles because I know I have leaders who will find a way,” Green told the attendees. “Every day, every moment, there is something wonderful happening in our schools. Let’s get it. Let’s celebrate.”
