N.C. teacher pay: Worse than Mississippi?

There's a chart that's making the rounds showing North Carolina as a dead and dismal last on teacher compensation,  even before last week's vote to withhold raises for 2013-14.  Bill Anderson of MeckEd sent it to Superintendent Heath Morrison,  who's been mentioning it at every opportunity.

The graphic presentation comes from a North Carolina teacher's blog, Teaching Speaks Volumes,  but the numbers come from a National Education Association report on state rankings.

You're probably more familiar with another list from that report, ranking our state 46th in average teacher salaries,  about $10,000 below the national average (and $1,500 below South Carolina).  That's nothing to boast about,  but heck,  we're ahead of West Virginia and Mississippi.

The chart highlights another way of looking at it.  The NEA calculated salaries in inflation-adjusted dollars and charted the change over the past decade,  from 2001-02 to 2011-12.  Teacher salaries across the nation declined almost 3 percent by that measure,  while North Carolina's dropped almost 16 percent.  Indiana had the next-biggest decline at 10 percent.

You can quibble over whether we're last or almost last,  but either way it's a picture that's raising questions about the state's commitment to teachers, students and public education.

At a forum last week on the state's Read to Achieve program, moderator Mike Collins asked Morrison and top officials of three other nearby districts whether North Carolina is a good place to teach.  "No!"  called several people in the audience of about 200 educators and advocates.

Crystal Hill,  executive director of elementary education for the Mooresville Graded School District, said the daughter of Superintendent Mark Edwards recently chose a teaching job in Tennessee over offers from her home state because she can make $11,000 a year more.

"My personal feeling is that clearly there is an attack on public education,"  Hill said.

The administrators were all polished speakers,  but my favorite quote of the evening came from an audience member who identified himself only as a grandfather whose mother had been a teacher.  He talked about the push for accountability in the face of cuts.  "They want you to build a house,"  he said,  "but they won't give you no plywood,  no nails,  no saws,  no hammers."

No squawks about CMS

I thoroughly enjoyed "Charlotte Squawks,"  the ninth annual musical lampoon of our area's characters,  institutions and foibles. But something feels amiss.

There are spoofs of Congress and the N.C. General Assembly.  Mayor Anthony Foxx makes frequent appearances,  and Pat McCrory's dance number is inspired.  Mecklenburg County gets three whole songs,  for the county commission,  County Manager Harry Jones'  departure and the revaluation flub.  Even the Observer's paywall got a poke,  to the tune of  "Skyfall."

"Pat McCrory" shows his "Governor Style"

But there's nary a peep about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools,  one of our largest public institutions.

I could claim it's because the cast hasn't found lookalikes for Superintendent Heath Morrison or school board Chair Mary McCray.  But the truth is,  this crew just isn't very funny.

It wasn't long ago that the district's leaders provided regular fodder for skewering.  Remember when the board was regularly described as divided and dysfunctional?  When national consultants used videos of CMS board meetings as examples of chaotic governance?  When protesters were getting hauled out of board meetings in handcuffs?

If you don't like the current board's direction,  it's probably not much consolation that they're working more cohesively.  But it's got to be a good thing for the community when the folks in charge of educating children behave like grown-ups.

Of course,  reporters take a perverse pride in covering the wackiest characters in town.  I admit to feeling some nostalgia for the days when a new superintendent took office and promptly tried to ban a children's book about gay penguins.

Collins

Since I saw only the dress rehearsal,  I checked with founder/producer Mike Collins to see whether things might change before the show ends on June 21.  The musical numbers are set,  he said,  but a satirical newscast is updated daily.

"If they do anything funny or absurd or worth making fun of, that will find its way into the news,"  Collins added helpfully.

Well, I can always hope for a good laugh.  But we might have to settle for a leadership team that seems to have gone sane.