CMS Board raises support staff wages to $20 an hour

CHARLOTTE, NC – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools support staff employees are getting a raise.

Demina Gaskin is an instructional assistant at an elementary school. She’s one of nearly four thousand Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools support staff that will now be paid $20 an hour.

“When you are able to manage your finances and not have to worry about having to get a second or third job, it allows you to be, um, a productive employer,” Gaskin said. “It allows you to not have so much stress or worry about your own situation, and you can really focus on your students.”

The CMS board voted unanimously to raise the wages for staff like custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and more. This raise will not impact teacher pay because it is regulated by the North Carolina state legislature.

“This is a group that has definitely felt overlooked, not seen, not heard, and they do tremendous work every day in the school district,” Lenora Shipp, CMS Board Member At-Large said.

The raises will be rolled out in phases and employees will be paid retroactively from the start of the 2024 school year. A recent study found workers need to make at least $24 dollars an hour to make a living wage.

“We know that this is not everything. You know, we wish we could do more. You deserve more but we are working towards that,” Melissa Easley, CMS representative from District 1 said.

The first phase of raises will cost more than $25 million dollars. The district will rely on the county to help foot the bill.

“It’s imperative that we get them closer, to get them closer to a a living wage. I will have to point out, we would not be able to do this if it was not properly funded through our support from the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners,” Stephanie Sneed, CMS Board Chair said.

Local education advocacy groups like CMAE and NCAE have been pushing for higher pay for all educators and support staff. They say these raises are a step in the right direction, but there’s more work to do make wages match the cost of living.

“When bus drivers are not at work, they don’t get paid, same thing for our cafeteria staff,” Gaskin said. “They’re only part time employees so they don’t earn retirement. So yes, this definitely needs to be looked at.” Demina Gaskin said.

Some support staff will start getting raises and back pay as soon as February.