Raleigh, NC - The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is expressing its disappointment to see teacher attrition rates rise in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s State of the Teaching Profession Report. The report highlighted that attrition rates are highest for new teachers and for those with 30 or more years of experience.
This news follows the recent Reason Foundation report ranking North Carolina 48th in the nation for teacher pay and the Education Law Center’s “Making the Grade” report placing the state last in per-pupil spending. Together, these reports underscore the consequences of the General Assembly’s policy choices — prioritizing tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, as well as expanding private school vouchers for affluent families, instead of fully investing in North Carolina’s public school students and the future of our state.
“While we would have preferred to see more encouraging data in this report, the findings are not surprising," said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE President. "Our General Assembly has failed to invest in educators in ways that retain educators or attract new ones to the profession. Instead, lawmakers have enacted policies that push educators out—keeping wages stagnant so many must work multiple jobs to support themselves and their families, while also cutting benefits and limiting classroom resources. If we want better outcomes for our students and our state, we must start by doing better for our educators.”
