Β CHARLOTTE, NC — If you own a home in Mecklenburg County, you may have to pay higher property taxes so teachers can get a raise. Β 61 percent of voters in Mecklenburg said ‘No” to a quarter-cent sales tax hike on Tuesday. Β It would have generated an estimated $28 million for teacher salaries. Β
County Commission Chair Trevor Fuller (D) says he plans to have a community conversation about other options, including a three cent property tax hike. Β “We’ve got to address it. Β We cannot long sustain losing a thousand teachers a year. Β Can’t happen. Β Not if we want to continue to have a prosperous community,” said Fuller.
School leaders say they’re also committed to pushing for teacher raises. Β School board Chair Mary McCray says she thinks the sales tax proposal was doomed even before Superintendent Heath Morrison announced his resignation Monday.
