By DEBBIE PAGE
Mooresville Graded School District school officials and staff held their annual legislative breakfast on Friday morning with representatives of the Town of Mooresville and Iredell County, and state lawmakers. Jen Bosser, executive director of the Iredell Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) also attended.
Superintendent Jason Gardner praised MGSD staff for the district’s accomplishments in the past year, with four or five schools having high growth scores and Mooresville High School having the highest graduation rate in the state. None of the district schools was classified as low-performing, with all but one achieving a “B” grade.
The district’s success is not an accident, Gardner said. It is the result of a collaboration between MGSD and government at all levels working to do the best they can for students, he explained.
Unlike past years, Gardner said, the district is focused this year on a single priority: providing competitive compensation for educators. Without adequate pay, the district’s other priorities are unattainable because a school district’s success rests on the quality of staff members.
The single most effective way to ensure high-quality education for students is by increasing teacher pay because many dedicated teachers are choosing to leave the profession or teach in states where pay is higher, which causes significant turnover and shortages in critical subjects like math, science, and exceptional children.
Support staff can also make higher salaries in the private sector. “They love their jobs but have to feed their families,” said Gardner.
By investing in competitive pay, the community is directly investing in better student outcomes, the closing of achievement gaps, and the strengthening North Carolina’s economic future with a better prepared workforce to serve all citizens’ needs, he said.
Gardner pointed out that Iredell County and Mooresville continue to experience rapid economic growth, rising wages, and a significantly increased cost of living. Unfortunately, educator compensation has not kept pace with the cost of living.
To remain competitive and ensure high-quality instruction for all students, Gardner called for an increased investment in the educators’ compensation.
TEACHER PAY DATA
To illustrate his point, Gardner cited IEDC data that the median household income in Mooresville was $88,592, with the average rent at $1,612 and an average one-bedroom apartment renting for $1,395.
The average home price was $718,779 with the median sales price of $519,613.
Gardner noted that teachers cannot afford to buy home in Mooresville at these price levels.
According to N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the average state base teacher salary is $53,295, a number which takes 13 years for a teacher to reach. The pay scale tops out at $55,950. NCDPI reports that NC ranks only sixth in the Southeast in average teacher pay.
The National Education Association ranks NC teacher pay 43rd in the nation.
In comparison, the Virginia Education Association reports that the average teacher pay in neighboring Virginia was $68,292 in 2024-2025, with the national average at $77,177.
A single adult with no children in Iredell County earns an average of $23.53 per hour, or $48,942 per year. Gardner noted that it would take nine years for a teacher to reach this salary level. The average wage in Iredell County is $62,669.
“Using the present NC state salary schedule, it will take 10 years for a teacher’s income to reach a livable wage,” added Dr. Gardner.
Gardner indicated inflation pressures are also a concern. The median household income has increased 23.4 percent, but inflation has risen by 24.3 percent in the last five years. During the same period, teacher pay has risen only 7.6 percent.
The labor force grew in Iredell County by 23 percent, one of the strongest performances in North Carolina, and as local industries expand in manufacturing, technology, logistics, and healthcare, Gardner said the competition for talent intensifies, and teachers, in order to take care of their families, may choose to leave for better paying jobs, though their hearts are still in education.
Gardner said the local economic data is clear: Educator pay has not kept pace with inflation, the local economy, or the increased expectations placed on public schools. “To protect instructional quality and remain competitive in this rapidly growing region, strengthening educator compensation is no longer optional,” he said. “It is essential.”
IMPORTANCE OF HIGHLY TRAINED WORKFORCE
Iredell County Commissioner Gene Houpe congratulated MGSD on its performance and expressed his support for investment in education because high-quality teachers are needed to create a highly trained workforce.
“Without a trained workforce, businesses and industry will not come. “We have one of the top states in the country for business development, economic growth, and business growth. We have one of the best counties in the state for all of those things.”
“Those things come with growing pains and economic challenges. You can’t do all things for all people,” he said. “We have to make people understand that education is an investment. We have to pay teachers better” to avoid turnover.
Houpe, who is married to a school principal, also said that when teachers with four-year degrees make less than a high school graduate in industry, “that’s an embarrassment to me as a public official.”
Houpe also called for the deregulation of public schools to match the requirements of charter and private schools. He also advocated for a change in how North Carolina grades schools.
“Growth and test scores need to be at least 50/50. No one wants to be graded on one day’s performance,” Houpe said.
Though he sympathizes with the district’s desire for higher teacher pay, Houpe reminded attendees that the commissioners have a lot on their plate to fund, including 26 county departments, 19 fire and rescue stations, and three educational entities.
Houpe noted that deregulating the schools, fixing state EC reimbursements for services provided rather than student numbers in the program, calendar and financial flexibility, and improving the state’s unfair school grading system were simple and cost-effective solutions to reduce teacher and principal frustration and improve school system operations.
EDUCATION REFORM EFFORTS MEET ROADBLOCKS
In his update, N.C. Rep. Todd Carver discussed a bill he introduced to allow retired teachers to return to work, a proposal that was quickly crushed by state retirement system opposition.
Carver and N.C. Sen. Vickie Sawyer also introduced a bill for MGSD to have the same financial flexibility that charter schools enjoy as well as having calendar flexibility, but the N.C. Senate has not acted on it.
A bill Carver wrote to remove the Praxis requirement for starting teachers if the principal certifies the teacher is an effective teacher also died in committee. “I would like to see us remove barriers for teachers,” he said.
Carver is pleased with the communication, cooperation, and collaboration between the varying state, local, and school officials, but he is disappointed that the legislature has not passed one of the three competing budget versions proposed by the Senate, House, and Gov. Josh Stein.
Carver noted the House budget would increase teacher pay an average of 8.4 percent over two years and make North Carolina the highest ranked state for starting teacher pay in the Southeast. However, he does not foresee the budget getting passed until after the primary elections in March.
Carver encouraged citizens to engage with their state legislators to share their concerns. He also noted that local officials are easily accessible and can also help effect change and solve problems.
In her comments, Sawyer praised the relationship that state lawmakers have with MGSD. Though she is only one vote out of 50 in the Senate, Sawyer asked the district to ask for her assistance with NCDPI or other government agencies if challenges occur.
“I can work on individual issues, and we can work through state government together. My deal is to make sure you get the services you need from the state government,” she said.
COUNTY EDUCATION FUNDING
Iredell County Manager Beth Mull reported that 46 percent of the county’s budget goes toward the three local education entities.
The biggest source of county revenue is property taxes, which helps pay employee supplements and school operational expenses. Mull said the county is around 22nd or 23rd in the state for the lowest property tax rates.
Both Mooresville and the county chose to lower property tax rates after the last property revaluation, even though the additional money would have allowed the county and cities to better fund education and other government services.
Mall said the second largest revenue source for the county is sales tax, which helps provide capital funding for school construction and repair.
EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Bosser said the IEDC relies on relationships with the two school systems, Mitchell Community College, the local Chambers of Commerce, and workforce development agencies to amplify school, workforce development programs and create relationships between industry and education.
She praised the success of the Iredell-Statesville Schools/MGSD pilot program that helps students develop important soft skills necessary in business. Students are coming out of school ready to work because of the efforts of the school systems.
Industries are coming to Iredell County because of the successful schools and the promising pipeline of workers being developed..
Bosser also noted that on the economic front, Iredell County ranks eighth in the state for economic prosperity and is an important employment center on its own right without dependence on Charlotte or other nearby metropolitan areas.
LOW EDUCATION PAY AND GRADUAL LOSS OF BENEFITS
After Gardner opened the floor for general discussion, MGSD board member Debbie Marsh criticized the state’s antiquated educational pay structure and the elimination of benefits like master’s degree pay, longevity pay, and losing healthcare in retirement while at the same time increasing expectations on teacher and student performance and demanding more non-instructional duties.
Though no one wants to pay more taxes, Marsh noted that the state cannot keep cutting taxes and still pay for the essential service provided by educators, who are not being paid a living wage. She keeps her grandchildren because her son and his wife, both educators, would struggle to pay childcare with mortgage payments and other bills.
After Marsh criticized North Carolina’s corporate tax rates, Houpe defended the low state corporate tax rate as well as county incentives to attract industry and businesses. If the state raises corporate taxes, businesses will build in another state, which will reduce job opportunities and money flowing through the state’s economy, he said.
“It’s a balancing act,” said Houpe. “If corporations have to pay more taxes, they will have to lower employees’ salaries, which means less income to support the local economy.”
Board member Monica Bender said the teachers are at the breaking point, with some working two and three jobs to survive. She questioned how can teachers have the energy to teach a classroom of kids when they are exhausted from additional employment.
Bender also criticized the hundreds of millions of dollars taken out of public education in the school voucher programs.
“Please think of our teachers,” pleaded Bender. “No one gets where they are without an education. It’s the most vital role I see. Help us help them.”
Mooresville Intermediate School Assistant Principal of the Year Katie Calloway asked that state officials reevaluate giving additional teacher supplements to counties with higher poverty rates because the cost of living in these counties is much lower than in significantly higher cost areas like Mooresville.
STUDENT NEEDS INCREASING
South Elementary leader and MGSD Principal of the Year Cheryl Dortch emphasized students’ increased mental health, social-emotional, and self-regulation needs and the lack of school readiness in the past five years, all of which is taking a toll on teachers.
Teachers love their profession and their kids, but Dortch said they often feel under-appreciated and also suffer effects on their own mental health and emotions because of all the stressors being placed upon them, both financially and in the classroom.
Dortch believes the state needs to re-evaluate how it provides exceptional children funding, which is currently allocated as a set amount per EC student rather than based on the level of services that the school system must provide to meet EC students’ needs.
She also cited the need to recruit more male and minority teachers into the classroom as role models for students who often these influences in their lives.
SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM VIOLATIONS OUT OF CONTROL
Marsh also started a long discussion about school bus stop-arm violations, which have topped 300 in MGSD since August. “We have to find ways to prosecute people who ignore child safety. Shame on us if we wait until a child is killed,” she said.
Marsh advocated for making the car’s owner responsible. “Without glamour shots of the driver, it’s difficult to prosecute them.”
Gardner pressed the need to get a county ordinance passed to allow the school systems to impose stiff civil fines ($500) on violators that would compound with each incident. Only two districts in the state have passed the ordinance, causing Gardner to wonder what roadblocks could be removed to facilitate the ordinance’s passage.
County Manager Beth Mull said that technicalities between law enforcement, school districts and multiple jurisdictions have to be ironed out with the entities’ lawyers and leaders before the county commission can act.
STRONG EDUCATION SYSTEM CREATES A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
Board Chair Greg Whitfield closed the legislative breakfast by saying “this is all about relationships. It’s all about community.”
“It’s evident that the people in this room understand the importance, the significance, the essential service that educators provide for a healthy community. We all need to do a better job, we can do a better job, we will do a better job.”
Whitfield believed that the morning’s discussion shows that education has had a significant impact on everyone.
“It means the world to me that this community has a strong, healthy public education system,” he said.
Whitfield is confident that taking incremental steps to build relationships and implement new, out-of-the-box ideas will take public education in a positive direction.