Stein's $1.4B Plan for Teacher Raises, Education Funding

0:00It's March 23rd. Welcome to Durham News today, powered by AI. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is pushing a $1.4 billion plan to raise teacher pay and boost education funding. This comes as state lawmakers dragged their feet on a budget deal that's now stalled for over two years. Earlier this week, Stein highlighted the need for action during a speech at an education event in Kerry. He stressed that strong public schools benefit every kid in the state, no matter the politics. Teachers here earn an average of $58,292 a year, putting North Carolina 43rd nationwide and behind. All neighboring states. That gap of nearly $14,000 below the national average hurts hiring and retention. Stein's proposal includes an average 6% raise, plus bonuses for master's degrees and extra pay for veterans in the classroom. Local leaders in the Senate and House control the $30 billion budget, but talks remain stalled with no deal in sight.

1:01Lawmakers return in April, so it's unclear if this push will break the impasse and finally deliver those long overdue raises to educators.