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Teachers respond to governor's plan for increased pay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg teacher Larry Bosc has seen it happening already – teachers leaving for better pay.
 
"We will lose good teachers -- our school has already -- or go into workforce for other employment," Bosc said.
 
Bosc and other more experienced teachers have been critical of Gov. Pat McCrory's plan announced Monday to bump new teachers starting pay from $31,000 to $35,000.
 
Groups like Aim Higher NC have online petitions with 28,000 signatures demanding better pay across the board.
 
Republican Rep. Bill Brawley defended the plan, saying the teachers' advisory group recommended it and it's just the first step.
 
"When we get final revenue reports in May, we will address all state employees," Brawley said. "We are not done this is the first step."
 
Before his school board meeting Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Heath Morrison agreed more needs to be done.
 
"We monitor why teachers leave. Increasingly, they are concerned about a lack of compensation," Morrison said.
 
It all sounds positive to Bosc, but he wonders how long teachers will wait around to see what happens.
 
"One thing to talk about pay raises, it's another to follow through on them," he said.