Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools To Vote on $20 Minimum Wage for Support Staff
On Jan. 28, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) leaders will vote on raising starting pay to $20 per hour for almost 4,000 essential support staff who help keep schools running day to day. The pay increase would go back to July 1, 2024. This $25.66 million plan is the first time since 2006 that CMS has acted on wage study results. Workers would get more money in their checks without complex bonus systems.
Last fall’s study showed a clear problem: While local wages grew, school staff pay stayed the same. Living in Charlotte costs more than most North Carolina cities, making it harder for workers to get by. The review looked at workers across nine different pay levels. The study examined pay for hundreds of positions, but didn’t include teachers and those needing special certifications.
“At Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, we value the contributions of every employee and know that our employees are our greatest resource,” Chief Human Resources Officer Kecia Coln told wcnc.com. “Implementing this compensation study supports our focus on People Excellence as we strive to both retain and recruit employees.”
Mecklenburg County’s budget has money ready for these raises. Leaders chose a straightforward $20 rate instead of earlier plans mixing $17.25 pay with added bonuses to reach the same amount.
Mid-January presentations to the school board led to this pay plan. Data showed CMS having trouble filling positions as employees left for better-paying jobs. The changes focus on the core of daily school operations, the support staff who keep everything going. Their pay has dropped way behind other local jobs.
Schools across the country are wrestling with pay decisions. San Diego just approved big teacher raises while facing a huge budget shortfall next year. Budget limits mean some updates have to wait. Staff won’t get raises based on their time worked until at least 2025. Yearly pay adjustments are also frozen for now.
When board members vote, they’ll need to balance matching local wages with budget constraints. It’s an important move toward fixing years of pay issues that have damaged staff morale and hiring.
