CMS Board Of Education Doubles Employee Retention Bonuses

CHARLOTTE, NC.– 7th grade CMS teacher Justin Parmenter says the school board doubling employee retention bonuses is a positive move, but not the solution. The National Education Association said in April that the average teacher salary in North Carolina is $54,150, putting the state at number 33 nationally.

“Our school board does not have tax authority, they rely on our partners at the state and county level to be able to compensate employees work and the real work is going to take pushing our state legislatures to make pay in North Carolina public schools attractive enough for teachers to want to come to North Carolina and teach here,” Parmenter says

The school board voted Tuesday to give $5,000 to full-time employees and $2,500 to part-timers as part of a retention bonus coming from $49 million in Covid-19 federal aid. Employees who were working as of December 31st will get a payment this month. Those who were hired by July 31, 2022, will qualify for a September bonus, and those who start working by the end of September will be able to qualify for a new November payment. The board of education approved $2,500 retention bonuses in December for full-time employees, with half paid then and the other half will be paid out in September.

“This is us doing our part, and it is a temporary, one-time solution. And you all need a permanent solution and that is going to require support from the county and from the state,” says board of education member Elyse Dashew.