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Please understand that the term 'union' is not used in the same context as other regions of the country. CMS' union doesn't have much in the way of authority. This is not a school system that is "unionized" in any official sense of the word. I doubt they can do much at all. Many say they move here for the cost of living but Char-Meck taxes aren't that great of a deal to buy a home. On the rental side, I'm sure the apartment market is pretty tight with the housing market continuing to slow down.
NC teachers are paid from the general fund of the state of North Carolina. Teachers in CMS make the same as teachers in any other county...according to the state salary schedule. Each county can/does supplement incomes.
If NC teachers were to have higher pay it would have to come from
a) shifting money from other state programs
b) raising taxes
Pick your poison.
Thank you for posting and providing more insight into this situation.
I was hoping that the lottery would benefit educational funding in NC. ???
I have a lot of other thoughts and questions on this subject . . . but need to do more research b/f I start spouting off, LOL!!!
My concern is - how can we recruit new teachers . . .as well as keep the brightest and best . . . w/ lousy pay, crowded classrooms and increasing violence in schools. But that is really for another thread, I suppose . . .
Thank you for posting and providing more insight into this situation.
I was hoping that the lottery would benefit educational funding in NC. ???
I have a lot of other thoughts and questions on this subject . . . but need to do more research b/f I start spouting off, LOL!!!
My concern is - how can we recruit new teachers . . .as well as keep the brightest and best . . . w/ lousy pay, crowded classrooms and increasing violence in schools. But that is really for another thread, I suppose . . .
State law has specific uses for lottery funding and I believe it is limited to capital expenditures such as renovating existing facilities or building new structures to meet student demand. As it is the lottery has not been the success it was hyped to be. For people in the border area along SC, some drive to a store down the street and play the SC lottery because there's a perception (real or otherwise) that the games will pay out more.
NC always has a shortage of teachers. The colleges in NC have their reputations built on other trades/skills. In addition, so many people move to NC each year.
State law has specific uses for lottery funding and I believe it is limited to capital expenditures such as renovating existing facilities or building new structures to meet student demand. As it is the lottery has not been the success it was hyped to be. For people in the border area along SC, some drive to a store down the street and play the SC lottery because there's a perception (real or otherwise) that the games will pay out more.
NC always has a shortage of teachers. The colleges in NC have their reputations built on other trades/skills. In addition, so many people move to NC each year.
Designating the funds for capital expenditures sounds on target . . . I had not looked this up . . . w/ explosive growth in NC, even w/ funds for improvements and new schools, seems we are going to be behind the curve for some time. Don't see any slowdown w/ influx of newcomers predicted in CLT . . . schools are already strained in many areas . . .
I no longer have children in school (about finished putting the last through college, actually!) but I feel strongly about support for schools - whether through direct taxation or bonds. What has me concerned about that, tho, is people are flocking here b/c of "quality of life issues" and cite lower taxes as one of the reasons they are escaping the NE . . . but the strain on our existing infrastructure will necessitate higher taxes to just remediate/keep up with situations (roads, water system, schools, law enforcement, etc).
Taxes would have to really jump to provide all that is needed b/c of the growth here.
Designating the funds for capital expenditures sounds on target . . . I had not looked this up . . . w/ explosive growth in NC, even w/ funds for improvements and new schools, seems we are going to be behind the curve for some time. Don't see any slowdown w/ influx of newcomers predicted in CLT . . . schools are already strained in many areas . . .
I no longer have children in school (about finished putting the last through college, actually!) but I feel strongly about support for schools - whether through direct taxation or bonds. What has me concerned about that, tho, is people are flocking here b/c of "quality of life issues" and cite lower taxes as one of the reasons they are escaping the NE . . . but the strain on our existing infrastructure will necessitate higher taxes to just remediate/keep up with situations (roads, water system, schools, law enforcement, etc).
Taxes would have to really jump to provide all that is needed b/c of the growth here.
You're right, people have been moving here for those reasons but that can only last so long before things are thrown out of balance. It's a decent quality of life so long as the resources and services are not strained but it appears that's what's happening...water, roads, etc.
How much taxes would have to increase depends on which county (Gaston, Union, Meck) and the particular issue in question. Many roads are state maintained so that's a whole different political issue than, say, Duke wanting to build a new power plant (and they do want to do this) or parks.
My first teaching job was in SC in 1989. I made $18,000. My second teaching job was in NC. I made close to $20,000. I couldn't make my rent and had to move in with my sister in order to survive. I wasn't wasting my money. I wasn't bringing in enough money to pay all my bills. One month I lived on pinto beans because I couldn't afford meat. You have to understand--this isn't about financial planning. This is about having the impression that when you graduate from a four-year university that you will make enough money to eat. This is about states stepping in and paying teachers more money. I make a good living as a teacher now, but I had to work 15 years to get here. Many good teachers leave education after only a few years because they can't make enough money to survive. A teacher in Kentucky (whose only been teaching three years) told me three days ago that her family is about to lose their house because they couldn't make house payments on her salary after her husband lost his job.
Another element to this that the WBTV (no surprise) did not mention is the importance of the income to debt ratio. How much debt a person has affects not only their ability to pay bills but also their credit rating. An apartment leasing company can also use it to determine a security deposit in addition to requiring the first month's rent.
Unless I'm misunderstanding something, how would teachers in Charlotte, NC be homeless. Sounds like something of their own doing.
Where did they get the $26,000 figure from? According to the district's website, the starting salary for a credentialed teacher in the Charlotte, NC district in the 2006-2007 school year was $32,216.
Unless I'm misunderstanding something, how would teachers in Charlotte, NC be homeless. Sounds like something of their own doing.
Where did they get the $26,000 figure from? According to the district's website, the starting salary for a credentialed teacher in the Charlotte, NC district in the 2006-2007 school year was $32,216.
Unless I'm misunderstanding something, how would teachers in Charlotte, NC be homeless. Sounds like something of their own doing.
Where did they get the $26,000 figure from? According to the district's website, the starting salary for a credentialed teacher in the Charlotte, NC district in the 2006-2007 school year was $32,216.
Maybe they are not credentialed. We have a teacher shortage here. I am just speculating here.
It's a problem all over. I would love to be a teacher for a few years (maybe permanently) through Teach for America- but even WITH insurance the $28-$30K a year I would make working in some of the rural districts (Navajo Res, Lakota Res, Rio Grande Valley) would barely pay for medical bills, much less food (which costs MUCH more for me because I'm allergic to so many foods- no ramen or pasta for me), rent, utilities, car payments, or gas.
Most of my teachers in high school were working 2 or 3 jobs above 7AM-5PM at the school just to make rent, even sharing with other teachers.
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