Easley Fights Hiring Teachers Licensed in Other States

Sep. 24–Gov. Mike Easley urged lawmakers Friday to reconsider a bill that would let educators with licenses from other states teach in North Carolina.

Easley reiterated his opposition to the legislation, saying it would lower teaching standards.

The bill that seeks to cure the state’s chronic teacher shortage would allow instructors deemed “highly qualified” in other states to teach in N.C. classrooms without taking a test now required.

Lawmakers passed the legislation by wide margins, so Easley has until Oct. 2 to veto it or allow it to become law.

He sent a letter to legislators Friday asking them to consider an alternative to the bill.

“The simple and overwhelming problem (with the bill) is that it abandons North Carolina’s teaching standards and mandates the acceptance of the lowest standards found in America either now and in the future,” the letter reads.

Supporters say the bill could fill scores of empty teaching slots across the state.

Some classes are now taught all year by substitutes with only a high school education, they say.

“Children can’t wait for lawmakers,” said Rep. Becky Carney, D-Charlotte, who is one of the bill’s sponsors. “We have qualified certified teachers moving here. There is no way we shouldn’t put them in the classroom.”

N.C. school systems have up to 11,000 teacher openings each year due to population growth. But colleges in the state graduate 3,200 teaching majors annually.

The governor promised that he and lawmakers will announce within weeks a plan to increase teacher pay to be in line with the national average.

N.C. teachers make an average of $43,313 compared with the national average of $47,750, official said.

Such moves will help ease the shortage, Easley said.

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