Teachers at 30 Wake schools will be eligible for bonuses or higher pay. Here’s where.

T. Keung Hui
·4 min read

Teachers at 30 “high-needs” Wake County schools will get higher pay or thousands of dollars in bonuses in an effort to recruit and retain more educators.

The Wake County school board approved a plan Tuesday to provide teachers and administrators at 24 schools with retention bonuses and performance bonuses based on students’ test scores. The school board also approved a plan to pay teachers up to $15,000 more per year at six schools if they take on additional leadership roles.

Both plans are largely funded out of federal and state grants that Wake received last year.

“Hopefully this will help recruit and retain some outstanding educators to join us here in Wake County,” said school board member Tyler Swanson, a former special education teacher.

Wake won $13.5 million over three years from the federal Teacher and School Leader Incentive grant to start “Project LEADERS.” The grant will provide retention and performance bonuses at 24 lower performing schools in addition to helping teachers pay the cost of getting advanced degrees and national board certification.

The 24 schools serve 13,453 students. They’re located mainly in eastern Wake County and east Raleigh.

Wake says they were picked based on various factors, including their test scores and a high percentage of low-income or under-represented minority students.

How will bonuses be paid?

Principals at the “Project LEADERS” schools will be eligible for up to $5,000 in retention and recruitment bonuses. Their teachers and assistant principals will be eligible for bonuses up to $3,000.

The bonuses would be split into two payments:

▪ A bonus of $1,500 for teachers and assistant principals and $2,500 for principals will be paid to anyone employed at those schools on Oct. 1, 2024 or hired between Oct. 2, 2024 and Sept. 1, 2026.

▪ An additional bonus of $1,500 for teachers and assistant principals and $2,500 for principals will be paid for those who remain at the school through Sept. 1, 2026.

Wake County will use a federal grant to pay teachers at 24 “high-needs schools” performance bonuses of up to $2,000 a year based on the state test scores of their students.
Wake County will use a federal grant to pay teachers at 24 “high-needs schools” performance bonuses of up to $2,000 a year based on the state test scores of their students.

Starting with 2024 test scores, teachers will get a performance bonus of $2,000 a year if their students’ SAS EVAAS scores exceed growth. School administrators will also get a $2,000 bonus if their school’s scores exceeds growth.

Various tests will be used to measure test growth: K-2 mClass reading, state end-of-grade exams in reading, math and science and state end-of-course exams in Math 1 and Math 3.

Advanced teaching roles

Wake also won a state grant of $3.2 million over three years to start an advanced teaching roles program. This will allow select teachers at six schools to get more money without the requirement of becoming school administrators.

The six schools chosen are Durant Road Middle in Raleigh, Knightdale High, North Garner Middle, Southeast Raleigh High, Southeast Raleigh Elementary and Wakelon Elementary in Zebulon.

Three new roles will be created at each school:

▪ A teacher with a record of “high-growth student learning” based on EVAAS scores will be eligible for a “multi-classroom leader” position that pays $12,000 to $15,000 more per year. Duties would include leading a teaching team, coaching other teachers and co-teaching classes.

▪ A “team reach teacher” would get $5,000 more per year. They will work on the multi-classroom leader’s team, co-teach with the leader and may teach more students than typically assigned to a classroom.

▪ A “reach associate” would get $3,000 more per year. The associate, who would act as an instructional assistant, would support the multi-classroom leader by providing small-group tutoring and supporting the students when the leader is coaching.

Wake plans to supplement the state funding with local money to offer the higher pay.

Wake to use Opportunity Culture model

Since 2016, some North Carolina school districts have used state grants to start advanced teaching roles programs.

Wake will use the Opportunity Culture model for its advanced teaching roles program. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has heavily used the Opportunity Culture program, allowing top teachers to earn an additional $18,250 a year leading teaching teams.

Wake is part of a larger grant involving 62 schools in five districts: Wake, Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Rockingham County, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Schools and Edgecombe County. Wake will administer the money for the Innovation Project, which is a collaborative of North Carolina public school superintendents.

The Opportunity Culture model is credited with helping raise student test scores in districts.

Which schools will get bonuses

The 24 “Project LEADERS” schools are:

▪ Barwell Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Baileywick Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Brentwood Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Bugg Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Carroll Middle in Raleigh

▪ Centennial Campus Middle in Raleigh

▪ Dillard Drive Elementary in Raleigh

▪ East Garner Middle

▪ East Millbrook Middle in Raleigh

▪ Forestville Elementary in Knightdale

▪ Green Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Hodge Road Elementary in Knightdale

▪ Knightdale Elementary

▪ Lynn Road Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Lockhart Elementary in Knightdale

▪ Neuse River Middle in Raleigh

▪ Poe Elementary in Raleigh

▪ River Bend Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Timber Drive Elementary in Garner

▪ Wake Forest Elementary

▪ Walnut Creek Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Wildwood Forest Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Wilburn Elementary in Raleigh

▪ Zebulon Middle