This week, the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) decided to write a critique my 2009 report on teacher compensation.
I appreciate any and all responses to my research, particularly those that take three years to formulate. (BTW, that’s a joke.) However, I am not going to waste my time addressing their complaints point by point. It is not so much that I am uninterested in the issue of teacher compensation. The problem is that the NCAE has become an organization incapable of conducting anything that resembles a civil debate with those who earnestly disagree with them.
If you are interested in the various issues raised by the NCAE, please read my study first. You will find that I anticipated and addressed many of their concerns already:
Download a copy here: http://www.johnlocke.org/research/show/spotlights/218
So, what is the average teacher salary in North Carolina? According to 2011-2012 initial allotments from the NC Department of Public Instruction, the average teacher salary in North Carolina is $42,263. If you add benefits – $3,233 for Social Security, $4,442 for retirement, and $4,929 for hospitalization – the average compensation is $54,867.
Please note that teacher compensation (salary + benefits) varies widely. For example, total compensation in Jones County is $61,692, while Hoke County averages $51,144. Variations in credentials and experience, which forms the basis of North Carolina’s one-size-fits-all salary schedule, account for much of the variation.
