By Amy Cockerham
Public Ed Works

RALEIGH (November 20, 2025) – North Carolina teachers and administrators are packing their bags and hitting the road after finding they can almost double their income in other states.

Social studies teacher Nicholas Bailey transferred from Onslow County Schools in North Carolina to Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia for pay that practically doubled.

“It was just horrible in North Carolina,” Bailey said. “The fact that I’m getting paid more than a 30-year teacher at my 15th step in Virginia is crazy.”

Bailey said in his new state he also receives more compensation for duties outside of teaching.

“Any kind of training you do here, you get paid for,” Bailey said. “If it’s anything extra outside of work, or like covering classes, we get paid for it, where in North Carolina it was almost just like a part of the job.”

Bailey said he would have never moved if pay was adequate at his old job.

“I loved where I was,” Bailey said. “I love North Carolina. Beautiful state. I was at the beach. It was wonderful.”

KATE FRANZEN teaches gifted students at Shakopee Public Schools in Minnesota. Previously, she worked for five years in in the Wake County Public Schools. She was named “Teacher of the Year” at Apex Friendship Elementary School in 2023-2024.

Franzen said she and her husband moved to N.C. for a fresh start.

“We wanted a little bit of adventure,” Franzen said. “We didn’t have any kids, so just, be close to the beach, nicer weather, things like that.” 

She said since moving back to Minnesota to be near family, she has nearly doubled her salary.

“The year after I received my master’s degree, we moved to North Carolina, and I did not get paid for my master’s degree in North Carolina.”

Franzen said Minnesota teachers are unionized, which helps ensure adequate pay. That means she doesn’t have to deal with working overtime and not being compensated. 

Franzen recalls frequently staying after school with bus riders in Wake County.

“As a teacher who had an after-school duty, I was sometimes at school for an extra hour waiting with the kids,” she said. “We weren’t getting paid for that.”

Franzen urges legislators to take the issues she and others experienced seriously.

“If you want a quality education, and you want a society that’s functioning, and you want people to continue to learn and to prosper, then we need to put more money into education and pay,” Franzen said. 

TEACHERS AREN’T the only educators affected by low pay in North Carolina.

Adam Schnug is a school administrator that almost doubled his salary moving to Pennsylvania.

“I was an assistant principal at a high school,” Schnug said. “Loved working for Iredell-Statesville schools, loved working at Lake Norman High School, but when I almost doubled my salary, accepting an assistant principal job in eastern Pennsylvania, I said, ‘This is crazy, we have to leave.’”

Schnug said he was told by peers to be careful moving because he might experience a higher cost of living.

“Though the taxes are more expensive here, overall, it’s a little similar in terms of electric, gas, groceries, everything,” Schnug said. “So the large salary bump is worth it to move at this point, if you’re willing to do so.”

Schnug said legislators need to change educator compensation or the state will suffer consequences. North Carolina remains the only state in the country that hasn’t adopted a budget for 2025-26, so its public-school teachers haven’t seen a raise this year.

“You got to get serious about it,” Schnug said. “Now that there’s a nationwide teacher shortage, I’m a little surprised more states haven’t come into North Carolina to set up recruiting fairs, because there’s plenty of good, talented young educators there.”

Schnug ultimately wishes he didn’t have to move out of North Carolina.

“My boys were born there,” Schnug said. “I got married in downtown Charlotte. I met my wife on Lake Norman. I love North Carolina, and it still holds a special place in my heart. But my family is better off in eastern Pennsylvania.”