Diane Ravitch is an education historian. She鈥檚 also a best-selling author and hugely influential on social media. In the past few years, she鈥檚 also become the champion for traditional public school teachers. What she isn鈥檛, is subtle.
鈥淣orth Carolina is bleeding talent,鈥� she told the crowd at the Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh on Tuesday. 鈥淣orth Carolina is bleeding experience. North Carolina has a brain drain caused by bad policy.鈥�
Ravitch received a response normally reserved for rock stars from the ballroom filled with teachers, education policy wonks, and mostly democratic lawmakers.
Before her speech, in a quieter conversation, Ravitch was no less adamant in criticizing the latest plan introduced by Governor McCrory and Republican leaders to raise base pay for teachers in the early stages of their careers.
"I think it's a terrible idea. And I don't know of any profession where you insult the experienced professionals and expect to get better results." - Diane Ravitch
鈥淭hat鈥檚 so divisive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a terrible idea. And I don鈥檛 know of any profession where you insult the experienced professionals and expect to get better results. Who鈥檚 going to teach the young teachers coming in? There may be a point where young people are making as much money as experienced people. That doesn鈥檛 make any sense at all. I think it鈥檚 a terrible proposal.鈥�
Details of the Republican proposal are becoming more clear.
For one, the plan鈥檚 architects say it will raise the salary for all early-career teachers to at least $35,000 per year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to note that this isn鈥檛 just for a beginning teacher,鈥� said Eric Guckian, McCrory鈥檚 Senior Education Advisor. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 teachers from beginning teacher to year nine. So it鈥檚 almost ten year-teachers, which is where we鈥檝e had the highest turnover.鈥�
That means 40,000 or so public-school teachers in North Carolina will see a sizable raise. But it also means nothing for teachers with more than ten years鈥� experience, unless they are picked as one of the top 25 percent of teachers at their school and receive a small bonus 鈥� another controversial policy enacted by Republicans.
Whether the higher salaries will stem the tide of teachers leaving the profession remains to be seen.
A panel at the Emerging Issues Forum presented their own personal stories of why they left, and money and respect were common threads.
With no salary increase this past year and the elimination of both tenure and the salary bump for teachers who earn masters degrees, some believe there could be a mass exodus of teachers before this fall.
Republicans don鈥檛 believe that will happen.
"What we think this announcement shows is a commitment to get our beginning teacher pay at a point where we're not just competitive with our neighboring states, but we're ahead of our neighboring states." - Phil Berger
鈥淚ndividual teachers make up their minds on what they are going to do for a variety of reasons,鈥� said Senate Leader Phil Berger. 鈥淲hat we think this announcement shows is a commitment to get our beginning teacher pay at a point where we鈥檙e not just competitive with our neighboring states, but we鈥檙e ahead of our neighboring states.鈥�
Teachers, understandably, are skeptical. But skepticism, for most, won鈥檛 prompt them into abandoning their teaching careers.
鈥淚 believe I鈥檒l be at my school for my career,鈥� said Kimberly Daughtry, an elementary school teacher in Northampton County, on the Virginia border. 鈥淓ven though, I鈥檒l be honest, with our pay rates it would be easier to go ten minutes and cross the line to make more money. But I鈥檓 not in education for money; I鈥檓 in education to help the kids. And the kids there need us.鈥�
To help those kids sometimes requires being creative, and overcoming systemic shortfalls. For Daughtry, that means turning to her mother for help.
鈥淲hen I became a teacher my mom said 鈥業鈥檓 going to do what I can to help you get through the rest of your teaching career,鈥� and she just donates things on a regular basis,鈥� Daughtry said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 missing something I need in my classroom, I鈥檒l call her up and say 鈥榟ey, mom, we need about ten packs of notebook paper to get us through the next nine weeks. Can you help me out?鈥欌��
Daughtry is returning to her class after the two-day Emerging Issues Forum, renewed and excited for the future.
Policy wonks and lawmakers will stick around Raleigh to try to hammer out ways to boost her salary to a level they all say she deserves.
But no matter what they come up with, it won鈥檛 change the reality that her chosen profession is under-funded, and at times, under-appreciated.
