To those of you who may not know, North Carolina’s General Assembly has yet to pass a state budget — leaving our public schools underfunded and our teachers without the raises they were promised. At the same time as all of this, our state treasury has decided to move to a "salary based" payment plan, causing some healthcare premiums to double in amount. 

Here are just a few statistics on public education in NC:

• NC teacher salaries rank near the bottom in the Southeast. Currently our average salary is $58,292 while SC is at $60,763, GA is at $67,641, AL is at $61,912 and VA is at $66,327. Veteran teachers even have a "frozen salary" for 10 years, with no pay increases.
• Many districts can’t fill positions because pay isn’t as competitive as neighboring states. Master's degrees do not get compensated, our health insurance premiums have increased, and new hires will not receive any retiree health benefits.
• Per-pupil spending (currently $12,352 in NC) lags behind neighboring states like VA ($16,445), SC ($14,884), AL ($13,461) and GA ($14,660).

We call on the North Carolina General Assembly to immediately reconvene and pass a state budget that:

• Provides fair, competitive pay raises for teachers and education staff
• Gives fair treatment to veteran teachers 
• Fully funds classroom resources, special education, and student support services
• Commits to keeping North Carolina’s public education system strong and equitable

This petition is directed at you, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Speaker of the House Destin Hall, and Governor Josh Stein.

Our teachers give everything they have for North Carolina’s children. It’s time our state gave something back. Add your name and stand for our students, our teachers, and our future for all of North Carolina. 

#saveNCpublicschools #NCteachersinaction