Schools without teachers: What candidates say about NC teacher pay, lowest in region

ASHEVILLE - Facing a statewide teacher shortage, historically low national test scores and a call for a public school strike, the majority of Buncombe County's General Assembly candidates said they supported raising instructor salaries.

Democrats and Republicans who responded to a Sept. 2 Citizen Times query said North Carolina teacher pay — the lowest in a cluster of five states and Alabama — should go up.

"It’s beyond my comprehension how the General Assembly put $6 billion in a 'rainy day fund' while all our school systems in North Carolina are stressed due to teacher shortages and other deficiencies," said Billy Martin, the Democrat running for the 46th Senate District for eastern Buncombe, McDowell and Burke counties.

The discussion comes as Republicans hope to increase their majorities in both General Assembly chambers. That could give them a majority too big for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to veto. The election is Nov. 3, but absentee ballots can be requested by voters and mailed out as early as Sept. 9.

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While the polled Republican and Democratic Buncombe candidates backed the increase, they disagreed on whether the money should come from the surplus. Some GOP candidates said it was not a long-term solution.

"I'm not ruling it out, but I don't think that's the first place to look," said John Anderson, Republican candidate for the 49th Senate District in western Buncombe.

Instead, current spending and the lottery distribution should be re-evaluated, said Anderson, a one-time public school science teacher.

"I don't want to start any program or change or enhance any program that becomes a budget deficit when tax revenues go down," he said.

Statewide, more than 4,400 teacher vacancies have meant larger class sizes and instructors without standard teaching certification. Asheville City Schools opened this year with six teacher vacancies that are being filled by long-term substitutes. For Buncombe County Schools there were a total of 114 open positions, including teachers and other staff.

Nationally, students have shown declines in math and reading. Historically low test scores among 9-year-olds are attributed to lack of instruction during the pandemic. Pressures of the pandemic, political attacks on teachers and low salaries contribute to the shortage, candidates said.

N.C. teacher salaries, starting at $37,127 and topping out at $63,359, are lower than those in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Those salaries are set by the General Assembly and paid by the state. Some systems, such as Asheville City Schools, give a local supplement covered by an additional property tax. But that is not enough in a city with the highest cost of living in the state, critics say.

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"It's about a shortage of adequate pay and respect for teachers," said Rep. Caleb Rudow, the Democrat running for the 116th House District, including parts of Asheville and north and northwestern Buncombe. "When we paid them a lot, there was a waiting list to become a teacher, and we don't do that anymore."

That led Buncombe County Commissioner Amanda Edwards to call for a statewide teacher strike. Such an action by public employees is illegal in N.C., with a local teacher advocacy group leader calling it a "last resort."

Senate District 46 (Eastern Buncombe, McDowell and Burke)

Billy Martin, Democrat: Increase pay. Use $6 billion budget surplus.

The former educator praised the governor for pushing back against lower education funding.

"I will be working tirelessly to help right the numerous wrongs inflicted on education the past decade by the Republican led General Assembly."

Sen. Warren Daniel, Republican: Did not respond.

In an Aug. 5 tweet Daniel talked about visiting AB Tech to hear about the community college's needs. In another tweet Daniel touted Republican moves since gaining the majority in 2010 to cut taxes.

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Senate District 49 (Western Buncombe)

John Anderson, Republican: Increase pay. Look to other sources before budget surplus.

Anderson said the "static and hard" pay scale imposed by the General Assembly should be reformed.

"I think instead of five-year increments, it should be increases annually on that scale, and I also think experience and advanced degrees should mean increased teacher pay."

Sen. Julie Mayfield, Democrat: Did not respond.

Mayfield, endorsed by the N.C. Association of Educators also, has said increasing teacher pay and per-pupil spending is one of her campaign platforms.

House District 114 (Central and eastern Asheville and eastern Buncombe)

Eric Ager, Democrat: Increase pay. Use budget surplus

Ager said not using the surplus shows Republicans do not value teachers or "everyday working people" whose children go to public schools.

"I join the calls to demand that our elected representatives and senators from all parties, elected in districts around our state, dramatically increase teacher pay now and ensure that the increases will be permanent rather than a stopgap measure," he said.

Everett Pittillo, Republican: Increase pay. Use surplus for facilities.

Pittillo said the surplus is not necessarily recurring, so should be used instead to improve school buildings. All staff should get more pay and teachers in more expensive communities, such as Buncombe, should be compensated higher, he said.

"As a state legislator, I promise I would work on this issue, crossing the line and working with my counterparts on the other side of the fence to fix this issue."

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House District 115 (West and South Asheville and southern and southwestern Buncombe)

Pratik Bhakta, Republican: Increase pay.

Bhakta said teachers are "crucial" and that he would be be a proponent for teachers in "a predominantly Republican led legislature."

He railed against the idea of teachers walking off the job, saying "with students already struggling due to Covid lockdowns, it's irresponsible for elected officials to advocate for teachers to go on strike."

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Lindsey Prather, Democrat: Increase pay.

Along with teachers, all public school staff should be considered for increases, Prather said.

"We also need to take a look at bringing the Teaching Fellows program back to full strength and investing more broadly in our teacher education programs in our colleges and universities to address long-term concerns," she said.

House District 116 (West Asheville and northern and northwestern Buncombe)

Caleb Rudow, Democrat: Increase pay. Use surplus.

Rudow said the state began falling behind with teacher pay during the 2008 Great Recession and that Republicans — while "basically wanting their schools funded and their teachers paid" — have overseen continued declines.

"We need to look at the cost of not funding schools — what is the cost of drops in learning outcomes and the all the learning and emotional development that does not happen?"

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Mollie Rose, Republican: did not respond.

In a Buncombe GOP bio, Rose, a former school counselor, criticized critical race theory, an interdisciplinary movement that says institutions can propagate racism.

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: What candidates say about raising NC teacher pay, lowest in region