We can afford better
Published May 18, 2017
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, May 17, 2017.
State legislators and then-Gov. Pat McCrory last year promised to raise average teacher pay in North Carolina to $50,000.
They almost made it.
Educators in K-12 public schools earn an average of $49,837 this year, according to estimates by the National Education Association.
Proposals by new Gov. Roy Cooper, and the budget approved by the state Senate, would finish the job and then some. The Senate outline includes an average raise of 3.7 percent.
Teacher pay in North Carolina stagnated during the recession but has climbed to 34th in the country. It’s still $9,000 below the national average, but North Carolina teachers are gaining ground. Next year they could pass teachers in Arkansas, Indiana, North Dakota and possibly Virginia to reach the top 30 in America.
That’s the good news. The bad is that, despite more money going to teachers, overall K-12 public school spending per student declined in North Carolina this year, the NEA reports, and now ranks just 43rd in the country.
That needs to turn around, and the Senate budget promises some progress. But it must do better still for schools and in other areas. It should put school spending on the same path as teachers’ salaries. Teachers deserve better pay, but they also want smaller class sizes, teaching assistants, classroom supplies and books.
In a nasty twist, Republican senators pulled $1 million in education funding from programs in Democratic senators’ districts before a final vote on the budget was taken in the predawn hours of last Friday. The move apparently was in retaliation for Democrats’ efforts to extend debate and propose amendments. It was petty and punitive.
Those words also describe a 10 percent cut in state appropriations to the Department of Environmental Quality, following years of previous cuts. This coincides with efforts to weaken environmental protections. Worse yet, as reported by NC Policy Watch, the budget seeks to reduce eligibility for low-income families to receive federally funded food assistance. The provision won’t save the state any money but can increase food hardship for thousands.
Yet, the budget offers tax cuts estimated at nearly $1 billion and adds $363 million to reserve funds, boosting savings to $1.8 billion. This happens while Cooper wrangles with the federal government over a request for $900 million in hurricane relief funds. The state deserves its fair share from Washington, but it’s hard to plead a desperate need if the state can afford to bestow tax breaks and pad its savings.
The budget makes wise investments in airports, including Piedmont Triad International, increases funding for highways and bridges and creates a new economic development fund, among other positive steps.
But the budget’s glaring faults should be corrected as the House considers its own spending plan. North Carolina can afford to do better.
