Asheville City Schools have NC's highest turnover: governor pushes for 8.5% teacher raises

ASHEVILLE - State lawmakers are debating teacher raises as Asheville City Schools struggle with the highest teacher turnover in the state − a problem caused by pay, but also other issues, according to a survey of local school staff.

One of those staff members, Asheville High teacher Dan Clare, said he wanted to teach in the community in which he lived and in the system where his children go to school, so he switched from Buncombe County Schools in 2021.

"But were it not for my partner's Washington, D.C., based job in healthcare, I simply could not afford to be a teacher and live in this community," Clare said.

It's unclear, though, if lawmakers in Raleigh will support 8.5% teacher raises and $1,500 bonuses proposed April 24 by Gov. Roy Cooper. Leaders of the Senate and House, which have a veto-proof Republican majority, have not shut the door on the idea, though a local GOP state senator offered a lukewarm response to Citizen Times April 30 questions.

"Teacher turnover is a national problem that cannot be solved by salary increases or bonuses alone," said Sen. Warren Daniel whose 46th District includes Burke, McDowell and portions of Buncombe County that surround Asheville.

The majority of public school teacher pay is funded by the state and Daniel said educators have gotten regular pay raises over the last decade, including an 11% boost in last year's budget for starting teachers.

"The General Assembly will continue to explore ways to lower N.C.'s teacher turnover rate," he said.

Daniel said states with higher pay also have turnover problems, though did not respond to a follow-up question as to which states he was referring to.

Daniel's Democratic challenger, former statehouse member John Ager of Fairview, disagreed, saying the governor's proposed budget "goes a long way towards repairing the damage done to our public schools over the past decade."

"Public education, the engine of our democracy, is the N.C. General Assembly's number one responsibility. But not only has budget after budget short-changed our educators, policy decisions have made teaching less and less fulfilling," Ager said.

"Why spend so much money on school buildings, administration, athletics and transportation when an excellent teacher in each classroom is where the learning has to take place?"

School staff, meanwhile have lobbied county and school elected officials for raises to local supplements. County Commissioners responded by voting for a June 2023 tax rate increase that would boost by 2% pay at Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools. In February, the ACS school board raised its staff pay by an additional 2%.

Recently released state figures showed ACS turnover was the worst in the state at 30.7% from March 2022 to March 2023. School administrators pointed to the area's high cost of living, with rents that are the highest in the state.

Staff meanwhile pointed the Citizen Times toward its own survey, conducted by the local teacher's union in the fall of 2023.

"Of our survey takers, 91% of them said that low pay was one of the top five issues affecting them. At the same time, 44% of survey takers said that low pay was their number one issue," said Tim Lloyd, president of the Asheville City Schools Educators Association.

Other issues include feeling teachers and other staff were "doing too much with too little," Lloyd said.

A spring 2024 petition advanced by the union called for raises to the local living wage of $22.10 an hour or 20%, whichever was greater. It also called for hiring of full-time substitutes for every building, additional behavioral specialist support, compensation for work outside of contract hours and other changes.

Clare, the Asheville High English teacher, said he has seen the turnover first-hand, with many talented teachers quitting, some in the middle of the year.

"The ever-increasing price of living in Asheville alone is daunting enough to deter qualified new teachers from coming and I don’t know how anyone could survive in this town without a second job, a well-employed spouse or a hectic commute to more affordable spaces, which comes with its own challenges," he said.

More: Asheville City Schools question NC turnover data, but say teacher attrition still very bad

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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville schools NC's top turnover: gov. wants 8.5% teacher raises