Copy and give it to your colleagues who are not online. The answers to these and other questions important to public school employees depend on how much money is expected in the treasury, and how Easley intends to divide that money. We'll find out on Monday, when Easley's office has said it will release his 2001-02 budget proposal. While analysts have made assumptions regarding how much money will be available to pay the state's bills and enact new programs, projections have varied in recent years and their track record has been spotty. In the shadow of a cooling national economy and a severe current-year budget deficit, no such projections are being trusted.
Teachers have a particular stake in the fledgling governor's ledger.
During the past four years, the General Assembly appropriated sizable annual salary increases, among other things, in a drive to raise salaries to the national average. The effort was initiated by NCAE in the early 1990s but caught fire after Governor Jim Hunt made it a personal legislative goal. As a result, North Carolina moved up from 43rd in the nation to the low-twenties. Legislative leaders and Governor Easley's advisers are aware of this gap and could seek to seal the deal in this year's budget. If their budget does not erase the discrepancy, however, the state's teacher salary ranking could drop for the first time in several years.