Raleigh, NC - The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) released the following statement today in response to the state budget deal announced this afternoon:
"Don't be fooled. Legislative leaders are calling this budget unprecedented. We call it smoke and mirrors.
They announced an 8% average raise for teachers, but no back pay for the work already done this school year. Eight percent may sound like a raise — until you pay Duke Energy's skyrocketing electric bill, Aetna's ballooning insurance premium, and more at the gas pump. Meanwhile, teachers are still spending more than $1,000 of their own money just to stock their classrooms.
The same politicians who spent a decade draining billions from public education now want applause for giving a fraction of it back.
They deserve none.
North Carolina’s teacher salaries are more than 25% behind the national average. After 3 years without passing a budget, 8% won’t cut it.
Worst of all, while corporate tax rates are scheduled to go to zero by 2030, lawmakers are proposing additional limits on income and property taxes — deliberately shrinking the revenue pie — which means next year, and the year after, there will be even less for public schools and working families.
This is not a solution. It is a setup, and everyone loses. Teachers. School employees. Families. Kids. We are not fooled. North Carolina's kids deserve better than smoke and mirrors. They deserve a legislature that puts Kids Over Corporations."
- Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE President
The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is our leading voice for educational excellence, for children and their families, and for the public schools they count on. As the public school employees union and the largest association of professional educators in North Carolina, our membership extends to all 100 counties and includes teachers, classified school staff, administrators, students, retirees, and community allies. NCAE believes that every child has a right to a high-quality education, an excellent teacher, and a well-funded school.
