Teachers in North Carolina schools are among the lowest-paid in the nation, and state and local officials say that’s having a crippling effect on the quality of education in the state.

Governor Pat McCrory recently unveiled a plan to increase teacher pay, but school leaders say it’s not enough – and this week, State Representative Graig Meyer told WCHL that morale among teachers is lower now than he’s ever seen it in his career in public education.

Friday on the Afternoon News, WCHL will host a special forum on the teacher-salary issue. Aaron Keck will be joined by Arasi Adkins, the executive director of human resources at Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools; Mary Gunderson, the district’s coordinator of teacher recruitment and support; and Christoph Stutts, a teacher at Carrboro High.

The forum will begin at 4:06 p.m. Tweet us your questions and comments @WCHL and we’ll address them in the discussion.