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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Governor's Teacher Pay Proposal Expected to Have Quick Impact

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Friday, February 24, 2017   

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper's plan to raise teacher pay by 10 percent in the next two years is projected to have an almost immediate impact on the state's ability to retain teachers. That's the prediction by the state's largest teacher group, the North Carolina Association of Educators.

The organization's president, Mark Jewell, said while there were some increases in teachers' pay during the previous administration, little was done to improve pay across the board.

"This is really a multi-year commitment to move teacher pay for everyone,” Jewell said. "The pay raises we've had in the past did nothing for those who had like 20 years and beyond, had received relatively no pay raise in the last eight years."

If the General Assembly approves the governor's proposal, it would make teacher salaries in North Carolina the highest in the Southeast within three years and raise them above the national average in five years.

Gov. Cooper said the plan would cost $813 million over the next two years and prompt no tax increase. The plan has received bipartisan support.

Jewell said raising salaries for all the state's teachers will help with retention and make recruitment easier this school year.

"There was a time when we had a surplus of elementary trained teachers. Now we can't fill elementary teachers, hard-to-staff subject areas are impossible to fill,” he said. "This is a move in the right direction."

The state’s average teacher salary is currently $50,000 a year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, making it 41st in the nation in the most recent report from the National Education Association.


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