NAGS HEAD — Dare County Schools teachers and staff will receive raises effective July 1, a Tuesday press release from the school system announced. Teachers will see local-supplement increases of up to $2,000, and full-time, non-teaching school staff will see $1,000 local raises.
“The decision was a collaborative effort between the Dare County Board of Education’s Recruitment and Retention Committee and the Dare County Board of Commissioners,” the release said. “This initiative underscores the district’s and the county’s commitment to valuing and supporting its outstanding educators and employees; [and] recognizing their ongoing efforts to support the students in Dare County Schools.”
Commissioners recently approved a $1,631,841 increase in its local appropriation to the school system, according to the release.
Because of that, effective July 1, licensed (certified) Dare County Schools teachers will see increases of up to $2,000 annually, meaning teachers will now have local supplements between $6,000 and $8,250, according to the release.
The new teachers’ supplement scale, based on years of experience, is as follows:
● 0 – 5 Years: $6,000
● 6 – 10 Years: $6,250
● 11 – 15 Years: $6,500
● 16 – 20 Years: $6,750
● 21 – 30 Years: $7,000
● 31 – 35 Years: $8,000
● 36 and Above: $8,250
Additionally, “for the first time, full-time support staff (classified employees) will receive $1,000 annually,” the release said. “This applies to all classified employees who are currently not eligible to earn incentive pay.”
Currently, local salary supplements range from $4,000-$6,250 based on years of teaching experience and are only available to certified Dare County Schools teachers.
“I am so grateful to everyone for their efforts, hard work, and unwavering commitment to make this increase a reality,” Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight said in the release.
“We are all thrilled to be able to provide our staff with this additional compensation in acknowledgment of the tremendous job they do for the students in Dare County Schools,” Basnight continued. “As we are wrapping up a successful 2023-2024 and looking forward to the possibilities of 2024-2025, I want our staff to know that their hard work and dedication to our students is greatly appreciated and is not going unnoticed.”
While the majority of all public school staff salaries comes from state funding, individual school systems in North Carolina often choose to offer a local supplement on top of the state salaries to attract and retain staff.
This year’s state budget has not yet passed, so it is unclear what the statewide salaries will be for the upcoming school year.
However, according to the current North Carolina salary schedule, effective July 1, 2023, beginning teachers earned $39,000. The schedule tops out at $55,100 annually for teachers with 25 years or more of experience and a bachelor’s degree.
Higher pay for individual North Carolina teachers is only attainable through the National Board Certification process or for teachers who earned a master’s degree prior to 2013, when former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and the Republican-controlled General Assembly eliminated new master’s pay salary increases for teachers.
