At first glance, the N.C. Senate’s current budget proposal is good news for North Carolina’s teachers.
According to the advocacy group N.C. Policy Watch, it adds over 2,000 teaching positions in response to the projected increases in the number of students. The budget would also decrease class sizes for students in kindergarten through third grade. This is commendable considering the widely documented benefits of smaller classrooms for students, especially students from low-income families.
The proposed budget would give most teachers a slight raise. However, this raise would leave out teachers who have taught for over 25 years. These teachers have their pay capped at $50,000. Unlike the N.C. House’s budget proposal, the Senate would not raise the $50,000 pay cap for veteran teachers.
The Senate proposes to pay for these improvements by slashing funding for teacher assistants. According to The Charlotte Observer, the cut will result in layoffs of as many as 8,500 teacher assistants. Though this initially may seem like a fair trade-off, it is ultimately harmful for students and teachers.
Not all students learn at the same pace. After a teacher goes over a lesson, some students may still struggle with a concept. It’s difficult for a teacher to cater to each student’s learning style while keeping on track with the year’s curriculum. This is where teacher assistants come in. They provide individualized help for students and are an extra set of eyes for the teacher. Teacher assistants are not disposable.
The cuts to teacher assistant positions are particularly concerning considering the history of cuts to teacher assistants’ positions in the past few years. According to N.C. Policy Watch, North Carolina already has 7,000 fewer teacher’s assistant positions than it did in 2008.
