NC budget makes savvy investments - Restoration NewsMedia (2024)

NC budget makes savvy investments - Restoration NewsMedia (1)

As a young man growing up in Chicago’s South Side, I believed that our government did not work. The wait times at the offices were atrocious, the customer service from government workers was uncourteous, and though we were taxed at higher rates, we didn’t see the benefits of our taxes. Somehow, the city was broke, workers were losing benefits so our behemoth administration could continue to exist and our roads, sidewalks and schools were in disrepair.

I am glad to say that my experience in the government of North Carolina has been different. I personally believe that government does work when the leaders show up to work. One of the things I’ve had the pleasure of working on over the past few months is our 2024 Appropriations Act, our proposed House state budget. There are several things in this budget that I believe are critical and worthwhile.

As an educator, I have committed to working diligently to increase teacher pay. In our 2024 budget, we are increasing starting teacher salary to $44,000 a year. In addition to that, we have an average raise of 4.4% for teachers. While I have not reached my personal goal of increasing starting teacher pay to $50,000 per year, we have been able to move from a starting salary of $39,000 to a starting salary of $44,000 per year. That is remarkable, and I have full confidence that we will reach a starting teacher salary of $50K soon.

Furthermore, the House budget restores master’s degree teacher pay. This point is straightforward. If we want a better education system, then incentivizing more teacher education can only be a good thing. I believe in master’s teacher pay, therefore, I support it as part of our budget.

Lastly, without a doubt, it is critical that we provide for continual improvements in school security. Our children are our greatest investment in our future, and they deserve every safeguard. In this proposed House budget, we have included $68 million for school safety. In the long session, with the help of Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Ben Williams in Wilson County Schools’ central office, we were able to secure $400,000 in school security funding. I have no doubt we will secure more funding from this budget.

Additionally, one of the greatest needs of our state infrastructure has been early childhood education. The parents in our economic market need help. Therefore, we have included $135 million for child care stabilization grants. Our child care centers are a critical part of our quality of life in North Carolina, and I am proud to see them given this much-needed funding.

In closing, we have several more achievements I would like to mention. This budget includes a 4% pay raise for state employees, a 9% pay raise for correctional officers, a 2% raise in cost-of-living allowance for retirees and, finally, an allotment of $41 million to combat the opioid epidemic.

I would like to end by saying that this budget is not the complete solution to North Carolina’s needs. However, this budget is a great step toward that solution. Also, I contend that the amounts in this budget are one step on the path to becoming the greatest state in our union.

Our teachers are still not paid enough, but we will get there. Other parts of our state system need improvement, and we are making our way. The path forward is one of compromise and commitment.

NC budget makes savvy investments - Restoration NewsMedia (2024)

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