• John Locke Update

    Cooper’s bad budget bets

    posted June 3, 2020 by Joseph Coletti
    Gov. Roy Cooper is either the worst gambler around, or his first term has been a classic example of a hustle. He placed big, losing bets on his vetoes of…
  • John Locke Update

    Teacher Pay in North Carolina: Sweet Spots and Sour Notes

    posted April 9, 2019 by Dr. Terry Stoops
    In March, the National Education Association released teacher salary data from its upcoming “Rankings of the States 2018 and Estimates of School Statistics 2019” report. Republican lawmakers welcomed the news…
  • John Locke Update

    N.C. Teachers are Getting Political

    posted May 11, 2018 by Dr. Terry Stoops
    The May 16 teacher gathering in Raleigh is inspired by teacher demonstrations in other states and is energized by the desire of public school advocacy groups to weaken Republican control…
  • John Locke Update

    Despite Surplus, Spending Restraint is Still Required

    posted May 10, 2018 by Joseph Coletti
    On most days and most roads, most drivers treat posted speed limits as the recommended speed. A person driving at the speed limit can be the slowest vehicle moving on…
  • John Locke Update

    Teacher Pay Rankings, Facts, and Figures

    posted April 26, 2018 by Dr. Terry Stoops
    On Monday, the National Education Association (NEA) released their annual Rankings and Estimates report.  According to the report, North Carolina’s average teacher salary for 2018, estimated by NEA researchers…
  • John Locke Update

    Overview of the New N.C. Public Education Budget

    posted June 28, 2017 by Dr. Terry Stoops
    The $23 billion state budget has passed in time for the start of a new fiscal year, and the largest part of that budget – over $9 billion – will…
  • Research Report

    State Budget Overview: Teacher compensation and Medicaid drive the 2014-15 budget

    posted August 19, 2014 by Sarah Curry, Dr. Terry Stoops
    For fiscal year 2014-15, North Carolina’s General Fund budget rose 2.2 percent to $21.1 billion. It funded an average teacher salary increase of 7 percent, one of the largest pay raises for North Carolina teachers in a generation, and created a Medicaid contingency fund of $186.4 million.
  • Research Report

    Learning About Teacher Pay: N.C. teachers are favorably compensated; what they need is merit pay

    posted February 13, 2007 by Dr. Terry Stoops
    Adjusted for cost of living, pension contribution, and teacher experience, the state’s average teacher salary is $993 higher than the U.S. adjusted median salary and $2,733 higher than the U.S. adjusted average salary. There is little evidence that a higher average salary or better benefits will, in any significant way, improve recruitment and increase retention of teachers. A system of merit-based pay would provide an incentive for highly qualified individuals to enter and stay in the teaching profession.

teacher compensation by Author