‘They are worth it.’ Teachers should be paid better, Cooper says during school visit
Gov. Roy Cooper delivered school supplies and praised teachers during a visit to Allenbrook Elementary School in west Charlotte on Monday.
Cooper — who was joined by Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten — met with Allenbrook Principal Kimberly Vaught and visited three classrooms.
“The most important people in this building today are those educators and those students,” Cooper said. “Those educators ought to be paid more than any of us. They are worth it.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers received an average 4.2% pay raise, and principals and assistant principals a 4% pay raise, in the operating budget finalized by the district in late August.
When school opened Aug. 29, CMS had 390 teacher vacancies and 53 of its 181 schools fully staffed.
BECOME A TEACHER: What you need to get started
CMS has seen 2,100 teachers leave or retire since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, although the state teacher workforce has remained largely stable through 2020-2021.
In exit interviews, the top reasons for teacher departures cited in the last year were career changes, opportunities in other school districts, expiring assignments, family relocation and family responsibilities.
Charlotte Observer staff writer Anna Maria Della Costa contributed reporting to this story.
