Raising teacher pay

Kudos to N.C. Gov. Mike Easley, who this week proposed raising teacher pay above the national average.

We've always thought it was strange that Southern governors and legislatures strived to raise teacher pay to the Southeastern average. That, in our opinion, seemed to say that teachers were worth only an average amount when, in fact, they should be paid more. The move by Easley more accurately reflects their value, as noted in The Charlotte Observer today:

Hardly anyone disagrees that an essential contributor to student achievement is a good classroom teacher, yet anticipated retirements in the next few years indicate that North Carolina may have trouble finding enough teachers to fill its classrooms, let alone enough good ones. Higher pay isn't the only way to attract capable people, but it's an important factor.

The governor's plan, announced with support from Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight and House Speaker Jim Black, puts the state on track to raise the average teacher pay to $52,266 by the 2008-09 school year -- just above the anticipated national average of $52,206 for that year. Average N.C. teacher pay last year was $43,313.