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Carteret County special-education teachers ask board to raise supplements to 13% and pay them monthly
Summary
At the April 1 school board meeting, three special-education teachers asked the Carteret County Board of Education to increase supplemental pay to 13% and to change payment timing from twice yearly to monthly, citing cost pressures and tax impacts.
Three special-education teachers urged the Carteret County Board of Education on April 1 to increase district supplemental pay to 13% and to change the supplement payment schedule from twice a year to monthly.
The request came during public comment from Teresa Rufflogle, a special-education teacher at West Carteret High School; Jennifer Rouse, an exceptional-children teacher at West Carteret; and Claudia Jenkins, a first-year Carteret County teacher with two decades of prior experience elsewhere. Rufflogle cited a longevity study from Chicago about the value of education and said teachers often hold second jobs; she asked the board for a supplement increase of 13% "which is similar" to peer counties. Rouse asked that supplements be paid monthly rather than twice a year, saying the twice-yearly schedule “forces employees into a higher tax bracket,” and cited example tax-rate figures shown on a handout (twice a year, shown as 22%; monthly, shown as 12%). Jenkins asked the board to supplant local supplement dollars with state funds identified by PR object code 71181 and referenced a 2023 state law she said left “millions” available for such purposes.
Board members invited the speakers to provide the materials by email and said staff would follow up; the board did not take formal action on the request during the meeting. Speakers offered to share the comparative data they prepared and to work with the board on next steps.
Why it matters: Board action on supplements and on how supplements are paid would affect take-home pay for district employees and could influence teacher retention and recruitment.
Context and details: The presenters described the supplement increase as a local revision request to better align with peer county supplements and to help teachers afford to live in the county. Rouse’s tax-rate examples were presented as illustrations on a handout; the board did not verify those rates during the meeting. Jenkins said she accepted a pay cut to move to Carteret County and asked the board to consider changing both supplement level and timing. The teachers asked that district staff and board members be copied on follow-up emails so they can collaborate on proposals.
Next steps: The teachers were told to email their materials to the board; the transcript records no motion or vote on changing supplement levels or payment timing at this meeting.
