Additional reporting by Elizabeth Friend

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board members gather Thursday night to vote on the upcoming year’s budget.

The district’s website projected posting the budget proposal late last week, but due to the delay by the North Carolina Legislature on its budget decisions, the district pushed the release date to Monday. However, the proposal, which has one hour of the nearly four-hour meeting set aside for it, wasn’t posted to the district’s website until Tuesday morning.

Many concerns swirled around the General Assembly’s budget as teaching assistants were in danger of losing their jobs. Last year, in response to state budget cuts, CHCCS hired new teaching assistants on one-year contracts that the district paid for using reserve funds. School officials said the district ran out of the reserve funds to cover the shortfall, and they waited to see what, if anything, the state would do to help pay for teaching assistants.

With the passage of the $21.1 billion state budget, teaching assistants should be safe. However, some teachers aren’t happy with the final numbers.

Though some called the new budget “historic” for putting $282 million towards education, some educators themselves have criticized the new teacher pay plan.

That’s because longevity pay, the bonus once awarded to teachers with more than ten years of experience is no longer guaranteed. Instead, the new plan caps teacher salaries at $50,000 for those with more than 25 years in the classroom and rolls longevity pay into the base salaries.

This has some long-term teachers estimating their raises at closer to 2-4 percent, while starting teachers will receive a seven-percent boost. Those with half a decade of experience could see as much as an 18-percent increase.

Related Stories
‹
'It's Not About Me': CHCCS Teachers Provide Support Through Pandemic
As local K-12 schools begin to wrap up their spring semesters, some teachers are still trying to come to terms with the past year. 
Can Achievement Gap be Closed with SRO Funding?
At Thursday’s Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board meeting, some said the 2015-16 budget should put more money into narrowing achievement gaps between groups of students – for example between white and black students.
Save Money, Help Local Teachers
Buy a coupon book, save money, and provide Estes Hills teachers with funds for professional development.
On School Funding, BOCC Faces Tough Choices
The BOCC faces a number of difficult decisions when it comes to school funding.
Local Electeds React To State Senate Budget
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and CHCCS board member James Barrett react to the Senate budget and other actions by the NCGA.
CHCCS Officials Already Worried About "Loss Of Jobs" In 2014
With the district's fund balance now dry, CHCCS officials say there could be even more cuts next year--including teacher and TA positions.
ProgressNC Says McCrory's "Stretching The Truth" About Education Budget
Progress NC Executive Director, Gerrick Brenner says Governor Pat McCrory’s comment that this year’s education budget is the largest in North Carolina history isn’t fair to say.
CHCCS Will Discuss Budget Plans Monday
The school board meets Monday night in a special session to discuss the district's budget plans in light of proposed state funding cuts.
Tax Hike For CHCCS District; OC Prop Tax Unchanged
County commissioners signaled on Thursday that they will hold the line on property taxes, but the CHCCS special district tax will go up.
Top Stories Of 2025: Triangle Residents Dazzle Across Television Appearances
From lovely islands to pretty summers and all the way to the Upside Down, the Triangle made its way onto the small screen in a big way this year.
›