NC teachers could see a bigger pay bump this year

Teachers could see an average of a 4.2% pay increase in the next year under a new statewide budget plan unveiled by Republican leaders Tuesday.

Why it matters: The possibility of that raise comes as teachers face mounting demands. In recent years, they've navigated the pandemic, threats of school shootings and political interference in lesson plans, driving thousands of educators to quit their jobs.

What's happening: Some 7% of teachers here said they had immediate plans to quit, according to a recently released survey conducted by the state's Department of Public Instruction in March — a 3% increase from 2020.

Yes, but: If lawmakers do not pass the legislation as written, or if Gov. Roy Cooper does not sign it into law, teachers will receive an average of a 1.3% pay raise in fiscal year 2022-2023. That number was set in a spending plan lawmakers passed last year, which granted teachers an average of a 2.5% pay raise over two years.

• The chambers are expected to pass the legislation in the coming days, but it remains unclear whether Cooper will sign the legislation, veto it or let it become law.

Details: The full budget proposal, which adjusts the spending package lawmakers passed last year, was released Tuesday. The spending plan now totals $27.9 billion, legislators said. Among many other things, it includes:

• 3.5% raises for state employees.
• $15 million to the ACC if the league keeps its headquarters in North Carolina. It will most likely be in Charlotte, WRAL reported.

• An additional $56 million for "opportunity scholarships" for low-income public school students to pay for private school tuition.
• A transfer of $1 billion into a newly created "State Inflationary Reserve" in anticipation of a recession, Berger’s office said.

What it doesn't include: Medicaid expansion. But that's a whole other story.