CMS approves employee raises, more support staff jobs as state budget fight drags on

As the fight over the budget drags on in the statehouse, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board stepped in Friday and voted to approve employee raises and funding for additional support positions, supported by money from the state and the county.

In a special session on Friday, the board approved “step increases,” which are tied to experience and set by the state, and bumped the local supplement for teachers and certified staff. Principals and assistant principals also received raises. Those increases were funded by the state, which approved giving step raises last Friday.

“We have waited to do this because we were hoping to have a state budget,” board chair Mary McCray said in a statement. “We care about our employees and our students, and we are committed to doing what’s best for them despite uncertainty in Raleigh. We’d prefer to have a state budget rather than taking these actions piecemeal but lacking that, we decided to do something now.”

Education funding has become a sticking point in the budget battle.

Last Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a Republican-backed proposal for a 3.9% teacher raise over two years, as well as 2% for non-instructional staff, calling it “paltry” and “inadequate” and vowing to negotiate for more.

Republicans have blasted Cooper for rejecting those raises, and Senate Leader Phil Berger accused the governor of using teachers as “pawns” for electing more Democrats.

Statewide, teachers staged demonstrations before school on Wednesday to show support for Cooper’s veto and to raise awareness for the budget holdup’s implications beyond pay raises, such as the lack of funding for more support staff.

Other CMS employees received a 3% raise, funded by the county, while hourly employees such as teacher assistants will see their pay rise to $13.22 per hour.

All raises will be applied retroactively to the start of the fiscal year, July 1. The district said all retroactive amounts should be paid by Jan. 31.

In addition to the raises, the board also approved adding 72 positions that support social and emotional health and well-being, including counselors, school psychologists and social workers. Those hires expand on the 550 positions the district currently has.

“Adding these will help us provide better support in our schools,” McCray said. “We’re still not where we need to be, but these 72 positions will move us closer.”