By Astrid Hacker, Staff Writer

Published in print Aug. 27, 2014

Two weeks ago the 2014-15 salary for Guilford County public school teachers was released. The fact that this news came after many schools had already begun class for the current academic year raised a few questions.

This new salary scale, approved August 12 by the Guilford County Board of Education, regulates the previous instances where locally allotted funds provide less experienced teachers a higher pay than more experienced teachers.

However, this new salary also comes with a $6 million budget cut along with a reduction in the funds allotted for tutors according to the News and Record.

In previous years the educational budget had a direct correlation to enrollment growth where that is now no longer the case. According to an article from The Progressive Pulse, a blog for North Carolina budget policies, “The two budget provisions force local school districts to plan their budgets in the spring without knowing whether or not the state will pay for increased numbers of students in their schools.”

The Progressive Pulse article also stated the 22 percent cut to the funds set aside for the hiring of Teacher’s Assistants (TA) as another obstacle school Officials are forced to face as a result of the new Guilford County School salary.

Chelsea Carhuff, a UNCG student and Elementary Education Major, stated in regards to the loss of TA funding, “With the budget cuts, that means teachers are having to spend more of their personal money to buy supplies for the classroom and lessons.”

She went on to say that the “loss of TA’s means more weight is being put on the teacher. The tasks that the TA’s would do, the teachers are now having to find more time to be able to complete those tasks.”

According to The Progressive Pulse, Governor Pat McCrory has made plans to meet with North Carolina legislatures to potentially revise the current educational budget. 

The hope is that this budget revision will return to the system of funding based on enrollment growth that will provide students with resources they would otherwise not have access to.

Carhuff stated that as she thinks about her future as a teacher it pains her to think that “we are responsible for the future, literally, and we are being treated so unfairly. We could have the next president, or famous scientist, or breakthrough doctor in our classrooms, but without the tools/supplies how can we help those students get to that level?”

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