From WRAL:
North Carolina ranks 35th in the nation for average teacher pay, an improvement from last year, when the state ranked 41st, according to estimates released Wednesday by the National Education Association.
Among the 12 states in the Southeast, North Carolina now ranks 5th, an improvement from 9th last year. The State Board of Education has set a goal to become No. 1 in the Southeast.
Predictably, the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is not satisfied.