Chuck Hughes, Salisbury, N.C.
♦ Your August 8th article: “How Does the Proposed Budget Affect NC’s Most Seasoned Teachers?” concerning North Carolina’s one-sided pay scale was excellent.
I believe there should be a two-tiered approach to establishing teacher salaries: recruitment and retention. The State’s lopsided pay scale is a short-sighted business plan that fails to understand that unexperienced employees will accept lower pay if there is opportunity for future advancement. Although every new professional needs experience to enrich his or her resume, wise eyes are always set on the future. When the future looks financially dim, however, resumes start to go out. Every profitable company recognizes this.
The ultimate outcome of the State’s budget for teacher salaries is that after five years of experience, the now experienced teachers will move on to greener pastures where their experience is rewarded. In the end, NC will turn into a training ground void of experienced teachers.
County teacher supplements could be used to balance the scales by disproportionate allocation (in reverse of what the State is doing) by stopping supplements for new recruits and significantly increasing supplements based upon performance and experience. I believe it is a poor policy to give those who have not yet been tested higher salary increases than those who have walked the gauntlet. Make retention of good teachers the higher priority.
The article: “How Does the Proposed Budget Affect NC’s Most Seasoned Teachers?”:
http://rowanfreepress.com/2014/08/02/how-does-the-proposed-budget-affect-ncs-most-seasoned-teachers/
