Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools is changing how they pay their teachers, but not everyone has been happy with it.

Project Advance is a new payment method that would give teacher pay raises based on professional development, opposed to simply how many years in the district. Veteran teachers have voiced their concern about the program. Some saying they will make less than they would have under the old system.

The program is set to take effect next school year.

“It’s difficult when you create this sort of change because it’s really a change in culture and how we think about what we are doing in schools as far as our professional learning,” said CHCCS Superintendent Tom Forcella.

Forcella said teachers and education board members would form a review board to make changes annually in the program.

Current CHCCS staff had the option of opting out of the project, but according to the Project Advance website, depending on years of service, a teacher’s supplements would stagnate and not reach the levels they could have under the previous system.

The switch to rewarding teacher development is a key part of the program for Forcella.

“We want to create environments in our schools for kids where they are thinkers and they are problem solvers, we want to have to have the same atmosphere for our teachers, we don’t want to put them in a box,” said Forcella.

CHCCS has raised starting teacher salaries this year to attract more teachers to the district. They are doing so regardless of how much money the district is allotted in the county budget.

Some teachers complained to the Board of County Commissioners about the implementation of Project Advance. Assistant Superintendent Todd LoFrese said they were listening to the concerns.

“I think it is important to know that we are listening and we are still listening,” said LoFrese.

According to LoFrese, with this salary structure a new CHCCS teacher will make more than a Wake County teacher in 3 years.

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