When reform-minded North Carolina legislators eliminated raises for advanced education degrees — along with tenure — their idea was to have performance pay replace it. Educators say that hasn’t happened.

A 1.2 percent raise to state employees last year is being followed by no raise at all for 2013. North Carolina has sunk from 25th in the nation in teacher pay to 46th. The state pay scale currently runs from $30,800 to $65,520 a year. New teachers go five years before their first step raise.

In its current budget, the Legislature considers the $500 bonuses the top 25 percent of teachers receive as performance pay. One school librarian said, “If they want to do merit pay, they shouldn’t put a cap on it. That makes it a competition.” He called the governor’s plan “the Hunger Games for teachers.”

The top 25 percent of teachers will also get four-year work contracts, which will be the longest-term contract available by 2018. Teachers in North Carolina are not allowed to unionize.

The superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools says he supports performance pay, but only combined with a boost in base pay. He plans to keep pushing legislators for more pay, while trying to maintain teacher morale.

The News and Observer, Aug. 13