Yesterday the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board (CMS) approved a county-wide salary increases for all of their teachers, assistant principals, principals and all other employees (about 9,000 in total). During the meeting, the board also approved 72 new student-support positions, according to a press release.
“We have waited to do this because we were hoping to have a state budget,” said Mary McCray, Board chair. “We care about our employees and our students, and we are committed to doing what’s best for them despite uncertainty in Raleigh. We’d prefer to have a state budget rather than taking these actions piecemeal but lacking that, we decided to do something now.”
The pay raises will be put in place by step increases (set by state salary schedules), and a general 3% raise for school employees not listed in the schedule. Hourly employees wages will be raised to an hourly pay of $13.22. In total, the raises will vary from 1% – 8% with a county wide average of about 3%.
The raises will be retroactive to July 1, the start of the district’s fiscal year, and the retroactive amounts will be paid by the end of this year.
The CMS board also voted to add 72 new social and emotional health positions to benefit students (bringing the total number of social and emotional health employees to 622).
“Social and emotional health is essential if students are going to be able to achieve in school,” said McCray. “Adding these will help us provide better support in our schools. We’re still not where we need to be, but these 72 positions will move us closer.”
Funds for the raises will be appropriated from the state and from Mecklenburg County.