Below is the salary schedule for a teacher in North Carolina for the 2020-2021 school year.

Any teacher new to the profession in the last seven years would never be on the second schedule because newer teachers are not allowed a pay bump for graduate degrees. Notice how the salaries also plateau after year 15.

There is no longevity pay included as it does not exist for teachers any longer.

And remember that the average pay that people like Phil Berger and Tim Moore like to brag about includes local supplements that the state is not responsible for.

Now go back a few years before the Great Recession.

Twelve years ago each salary step would have had an increase in pay.

All teachers, new and veteran, would have had graduate degree pay twelve years ago.

All veteran teachers would have received longevity pay twelve years ago above and beyond what the salary schedule said.

Now imagine if that same schedule was in play for teachers today and adjusted for inflation.

Oh, and now new teachers will not be able to have retiree health benefits.