Perdue cuts pay of state employees, teachers

Almost every one of these "complaints" are coming from teachers, and you're NOT the only one's suffering! The NC department of correction is the second lowest paying job in North Carolina. The d.o.c. and the teachers are "suppose" to be in this together as state employees. Apparently none of you remember the combined campaign the state set up for us. Yet all I am reading are a bunch of selfish people crying about pay cuts! What about all of the ones who are without jobs! One of the biggest problems with the world that we live in is that we don't care about each other anymore! Not until there is another 9-11-01! Stop your self pitty! At least most of us are able to still bring food home for our families with the money we are making from the state.

You are right. That was the so called education lottery is supposed to be for. According to a news article posted last week, 99.8 million has been put in a dedicated state fund to help with class size reduction, pre K initiatives, public school construction, and college scholarships. Since March 2006, 825 million has been generated to date, for these programs. For the next fiscal year ending next June 30, there is 385 million in profits to be used. My question is: where is the rest of the money and why isn't it being accounted for?

.05% is not the same as .5%. Judges and some others were asked to voluntarily give up .05% of their paychecks. Teachers automatically had .5% deducted from checks. Now that we've lost that money, they're not done. Originally it was proposed to reduce the school year by 5 days. At that rate, I would have lost $625 but gained days off. Then it was 10 days. I'd have lost $1250 but gained days off. Now they're not reducing the year. Instead, they're going to reduce teachers' salaries by a proposed 10%. If you're curious, I'm a 9th year teacher making about $38,000 a year. Ten percent of that is $3800. Compare those numbers before you ask me not to complain. At the end of 30 years, I should be making what most of my peers made right out of college. I'm not in it for the money, true, but I do have bills.

As a state employee (and the wife of a teacher)and a mother of 2 a .05% pay cut is worrisome and a sign of what is to come. As things are going, we should be prepared for further cuts and perhaps even loosing one or both of our jobs. I refuse to be OK with a pay cut when we are both already underpaid. A .05% pay cut is limiting us to such a degree that we will not be able to take our annual trip to see the grandparents. I don't think it is right to assume that this is "mere" for everyone, although I am happy to hear you are doing alright.

The average teacher works well over 40 hours a week. We put in the average work day with the chidren but we have early morning duty or for me I have to set up each morning and get there at 6:30. I stay late and make the appropriate phone calls, example, set up interpreters, why did your child not come to school today, IEP, PEP, trainings... Have you been in a classroom lately??? On average there are 3 children in each classroom that has some type of emotional, behavioral, or learning disability. When a teacher plans he/she has to take into account all the different types of learners and skill levels they bring to the table. Differentiated instruction, sounds nice but takes a lot of work if you are truly dedicated to your student's success. Try teaching in a classroom where every 10-15 minutes something has set someone off. You have to stop teaching because they have taken away your instructional assistant to stop the chaos. Then you might have to find someone in the hall to watch you class because the situation may have esculated and you have to wait in line for your principal because they have removed your assistant principal. Now during all this time of dealing with a behaviour issue you have lost time for that lesson that day and EOG's are just around the corner. Your children are so far behind because you have been a referee and not a teacher. Oh did I forget to mention they are increasing the class size so lets add one or two more of those children that need that extra attention. Wonder why teachers are stressed about having their pay cut???? Because we are busting our bottoms for 180 days to give these kids a fighting chance and our worth is measured from a child's ability to pass a standardized test. I invite anyone in my class. not a day because heck anyone can handle a day. Spend a week with me. A real week, from the time I enter to the time I leave the school, which can sometimes turn into a 12 hour day. Then tell me that I should not complain about pay cuts, required furlough, and lack of respect...........

I work well OVER my 40 hours a week. I am at work at 7 to stand duty and work until 5 every day to work with clubs and be available for meetings. In addition, I work just about every Saturday for saturday school and late nights 3 times a week just putting together a yearbook. I well work over my hours. Summers? What summer, I end up having to attend this workshop, that meeting, and this production of practices for NO PAY....so, don't say we don't do over time!

suck it up?" Are you kidding me. Obviously you are not a teacher. As far as asking to work 8 more hours after a shift. At least you get paid for your additional 8 hours. I am at school everyday 1 hour before I have to be and 3 hours after school, not to mention the 2-3 hours each night and on weekends. I think I have worked my 8 hours! Try working with 21 kindergartners everyday teaching them to read a level 6 book and writing 5-7 sentences on a given topic. And let's not forget being their doctor, their parent, their counselor, their referee, their friend, and oh----their teacher. You would not last 10 minutes!!!!!! Do not get me wrong I love my job! I am just sick of people like you putting it down. Do not forget it was a teacher that taught you how to read and write!

As a teacher talking to others about this, I have included ALL state employees in my discussion. Overall state employees as a whole make less money than other professions. But to tell us to just "suck it up" is ridiculous. Other states have put a freeze on hiring, but have not decreased the pay of current employees. As an educator, I do not feel that North Carolina values education and it is a shame. Teachers are told we need to work to close the achievement gap, yet they take money away from More at Four, which is geared towards lower income families receiving education for their preschool age children, which has been proven to help close the achievement gap. As far as your comment about being asked to stay another 8 hours after working one shift, I have never met a teacher who only works their 8 hours, then gets to leave, go home and have their own life the rest of the evening. I daily work 9 - 10 hours at school, and then come home to do more work here. We are often working on the weekends to plan and create things for our classroom and students and are spending our own money as well, because the funds for "extras" have never been provided. So no, I don't think I'm better than anyone else as a teacher, but I also don't think education is valued here or that most people understand what a teacher's day is like.

VERY good point. After 4 years of taking out student loans to pay for my edu, I finally graduated. But my degree means nothing since I cannot find a teaching job because of hiring freezes. Now this pay cut makes teaching seem an even less promising career in NC. I have a friend in GA who also just graduated. His education was paid for in full by the state because they realize they need teachers. Also, he has a teaching job waiting for him this upcoming school year. Plus, the pay is better there. I have decided that I have no reason to feel the need to give back to NC. I'm definitely looking for a teaching job in a state other than NC.

Striking is not the answer. I grew up in the Chicago public schools in the 80's when the teachers would strike every year. We wouldn't start our school year until October, but we would lose all our holidays, vacations and end up going to school until July. It's not good for the kids.

They cannot strike in NC. It is against the law..

I have been trying to find out how much money our state spends on standardized testing each year. I'm beginning to think this is a secret. I think this needs to be in the newspapers and on the six o'clock news and tax payers would be upset and maybe things would change!!! If anyone knows the answer to this question please let me and others know!