Sen. Brown Responds to NCAE’s Attempt to Gaslight Teachers

For More Than a Year, Senate Democrats Squandered Opportunities to Raise Salaries

Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Cooper and Senate Democrats, backed by the far-left NCAE, have squandered every opportunity to give raises to teachers. They even opposed a no-strings-attached 3.9% teacher pay raise.

When the state had a $1 billion surplus, Republicans offered a 4.9% raise plus a $1,000 bonus, but Gov. Cooper and the far-left NCAE rejected it. Now that we have a $5 billion deficit, we’re in a different world.

The NCAE and Democrats ensured teachers would be the only state employees to not receive raises. But the NCAE won’t tell you that. Instead, it is misleading the public about when state employee raises were approved. Anyone who can access an internet search engine can easily determine that state employee pay raises were approved last year, when North Carolina had a surplus, not this year.

“Democrats, Gov. Cooper and the NCAE use teachers as political pawns instead of actually caring about their salaries,” senior budget writer Sen. Harry Brown (R-Onslow) said. “Teachers should be furious that the advocacy group they send hundreds of dollars to each year rejected a pay raise because of political allegiance to Gov. Cooper, leaving teachers with nothing. The NCAE should return its dues to members for such a failure.

“I remember back during the last recession when the Democrats in control of the General Assembly fired teachers and slashed salaries to fill budget holes. It was devastating for so many families across the state. Thanks to prudent budgeting over the past nine years it looks like we’ll be able to avoid repeating their mistakes.”

Timeline on Teacher Pay Offers

• May 30 and 31, 2019: The majority of Senate Democrats vote against a 3.5% pay raise for teachers.
• June 26 and 27, 2019: The majority of Senate Democrats vote against a 3.9% pay raise for teachers.
• Oct. 31, 2019: Senate Democrats vote against a base 3.9% pay raise that would increase to 4.4% if the veto of the state budget was overridden.
• November 2019: Senate Democrats do not accept an offer of a 4.9% increase in teacher pay plus a one-time $1,000 bonus for all teachers.
• Jan. 14, 2020: Senate Democrats vote to sustain Gov. Cooper’s veto of the 3.9% pay raise that would increase 4.4% if the veto of the state budget was overridden.