Compensation for Public School Employees
Teachers, school administrators, and non-teaching positions in NC school districts (LEAs) are employed by local boards of education but are paid on a state salary schedule based on a number of factors. In addition to the state salary, a local supplement may be provided by the school district. Some public school employees may also receive compensation, or longevity pay, for continuing service. Independent Public Schools (IPS - charter schools, lab schools, regional schools, and the Innovative School District) may follow the state salary schedules or determine their own.
Certified Educator Salary Schedules include teachers, certified instructional support and school based administrators. All certified educators working in Local Education Agencies (LEA) are required to be paid from the legislated salary schedule. This schedule is approved annually by the general assembly and sets a minimum pay based on the educators years of experience and education level. As a supplement to these monthly amounts, a LEA may approve additional funds to the educator to account for variances such as geographic location, market conditions or school demographics.
State Salary Schedules
Salary schedules and daily rates for state legislated certified salaries, and salary ranges for non-certified personnel:
- 2020-2021 Salary Schedules
- 2019-2020 Salary Schedules November 12, 2019
- 2018-2019 Salary Schedules July 13, 2018
- 2017-2018 Salary Schedules October 10, 2017
- 2016-2017 Salary Schedules
Local Salary Supplement data is available in the Statistical Profile.
School Building Administrator Salary 2018
2017-18 Principals Schedules FAQ
Determining the Hold Harmless for Teachers — Examples 2016-17
Legislation and Policy
- Master’s Pay Change Effective 2014-15
Per legislation: "…no teachers or instructional support personnel, except for certified school nurses and instructional support personnel in positions for which a master's degree is required for licensure, shall be paid on the "M" salary schedule or receive a salary supplement for academic preparation at the six-year degree level or at the doctoral degree level for the 2014-2015 school year, unless they were paid on that salary schedule or received that salary supplement prior to the 2014-2015 school year." - Vacation Leave Accrual Changes Effective Jan. 1, 2011
The annual (vacation) leave accrual rates for employees with 0-2 years of service and 2-5 year of service have been combined into one accrual rate. - Guidelines for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Pay Differential
- Salary Changes Summary 2009
- Reduction in Force (RIF) & Hospital Insurance Continuance
- Guidance on Retirees
- Differential Pay for Military Duty (Q&A)
Legislated Raises and Bonuses
Teacher Legislated Bonuses FAQ - September 2020
SL 2019-247 HB 377 Section 2.5 Principal Recruitment Supplement
PRC 046 Teacher Performance Bonus 2019-2020
- FAQ 3rd Grade Reading Updated February 3, 2020
- 3rd Grade Reading Bonus Summary
PRC 048 Teacher Performance Bonus 2019-2020
- Detail of Allotment Updated February 18, 2020
- FAQ Industry Certifications and Credentials
- FAQ Advanced Course (AP, IB, AICE)
- FAQ 4-5 Grade Reading and 4-8 Grade Math Updated January 22, 2020
Principals and Teachers Bonus Summary Updated November 15, 2019
2019-20 Principal Bonus
- Frequently Asked Questions Updated November 15, 2019
- Eligible Schools Updated November 15, 2019
Highly Qualified Teaching Graduates
- HQ Teaching Graduates FAQ
- Eligible Courses and License Areas
- Low Performing Schools
AP / IB Teacher Legislated Bonuses 2016-17 FAQ
State Salary Schedules 2015-16 FAQ
State Salary Manual and Forms
Manual
- NC Public School Personnel State Salary Manual 2020-21 - Contains complete legislative salary information and State Board of Education salary policies.
- NC Public School Personnel State Salary Manual 2018-19
- SBE approved changes for 2018-19 - Section C - School Based Administrators and Section D - Teachers and Student Services
- NC Public School Personnel State Salary Manual 2017-18
- Attachment "A" - List of budget codes and their required licensure areas for salary calculation purposes. This is used by administrative staff in the LEAs for coding personnel in the school systems. The Attach A is online with the Uniform Chart of Accounts documents.
Forms
Salary Audit Exceptions
Salary Audit Exception Messages Crosswalk - The exception messages displayed in the LEA License and Salary Info Center, Exception List – Results screen, have evolved over the years. To assist with associating "familiar" messages of the past with the more current messages displayed; a crosswalk has been developed.
The Key to North Carolina Licensure Areas and Program Codes (March 3, 2019) is provided as a reference to assist with interpreting information displayed throughout the online LEA License and Salary Info Center (LicSal). Salary Analysts use this reference as a tool in determining the certified salaries of Public School employees when resolving salary audit exceptions.
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