Just read the latest article regarding the NC state budget and the teacher raises that our governor and state legislators are boasting about this morning. For all my non-teacher friends I thought I would give you a little insight on what our state government is doing to the teachers in this state from a personal perspective. You see, my husband is entering his 23rd as a public school teacher. He has taught many of you and/or your children. (Yes, hes that old). He pours his heart and soul into his job every single day. He has received longevity pay since the 11th year of his career every year on August 30. For the first few years we considered that as sort of a bonus and used it to pay off those annoying little bills that everyone accumulates. You know the ones....new tires, dental bills, medical bills, new compressor for the AC....that kind of stuff. For the past five years, however, due to the salary freeze, we have used that money to pay for necessities like the electricity, car payments, groceries, textbooks for the college student, back-to-school supplies for the girls. You see, during the five year salary freeze, a LOT has happened in our lives. Both of our daughters have turned 16 and obtained a drivers license during that time adding the expenses that go along with that. (Lets not get sidetracked by the outrageous insurance costs in NC). We now have a daughter in college. This will be her third year there. I, myself, am a state employee in the community college system and have not seen a pay increase in the entire four years I have been employed there. Now, on August 2, we are being told that the money we were counting on receiving on August 30, to help our daughter get settled into her apartment at ASU, to cover the beginning of the school year costs and supplies, to cover necessities in our lives, will not be coming. Four weeks notice. But we will get through it. We will survive. Because that is what teachers have learned to do. Survive. For the love of the students and the love of teaching...they have entered survival mode. My point is this. The so-called pay increase that our legislators are bragging about this morning is nothing more than a re-arrangement of money they already owe my husband and many like him. The net amount of the increase for him is closer to 1% than 7%. They have taken away the longevity and given it a new label of salary increase. But its money he was already owed so it isnt an increase of any kind. The legislators are trying to deceive everyone into thinking it is. There is nothing that can be done, at this point, other than complain and make a lot of noise. But there is a LOT that can be done in November. It is time for a purge in Raleigh. Please dont comment on this post if you are going to start blaming the President or our local school board. Please dont comment on this post about Chromebooks or parking passes or the Israel/Gaza crisis or the affordable healthcare act. I did not post this status to get conversation started on any of those issues. Not that they arent important issues and dont deserve attention, but they arent the issue I am addressing here. I just wanted to shed a little light on one specific issue that hits very close to home for my family and many of my friends. And I will end this post by saying I thank God everyday for the family and friends he had blessed us with that will help us to survive this latest knock down. We will survive together.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 13:48:07 +0000
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