The following is from a presentation by the House Select Committee on an Education System in North Carolina on May 9th, 2022. That committee was meeting to redefine education in NC. All of their graphics are in the public domain.
When a policymaker in North Carolina tells you that teachers in NC have a great benefits package that actually “raises” what the average teacher “makes,” then show that person this.
It tells a different story.
Because there is no retiree medical for new teachers, there is no “green” in the graphic for NC. And looking at how the “blue” and “brown” compare to our neighboring states, NC is looking pretty bad.
Oh, and you might want look at Mississippi and Arkansas and what they did with their teacher pay over the last couple of years.