Teachers in North Carolina now have until May to complete their master’s and still receive a 10 percent pay increase. State lawmakers eliminated that automatic salary bump starting next school year. The state board of education Thursday extended the cutoff date from April to May, so that teachers can use the spring semester to complete their degrees.
Philip Price with the state’s department of public instruction says it would take legislation to extend that date any further.
“There are people who are currently in the program that will not be getting their degrees in May and this language that you all are approving today would not have any impact on those as far as being able to allow them to receive the differential,” said Price
The state board of education also decided to ask the federal government for a year’s delay in using new state exams to rate teachers. Right now the state is required to base personnel decisions, possibly including teacher pay, on this data beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.
North Carolina rolled out new exams last year and scores dipped significantly. State officials say a delay would allow teachers more time to feel comfortable with the new tests and standards before having them count toward their ratings.
Twenty-six new charter schools also got the initial go ahead to open next school year.
These are schools that receive public money, but operate on their own. Nine of the new charters would be located in Mecklenburg County and two of them in Cabarrus County.
