Chatham County educators’ association presses board for EC incentives, bilingual pay and restored master's pay in public comment

Brandy Varner, speaking for the Chatham County Association of Educators (CCAE), urged the Chatham County Board of Education and district leadership to prioritize several budget and policy items as the district enters budget season.

Varner said the association was grateful for "the open and honest relationship" with the board and district leadership and presented CCAE's 2025 advocacy agenda. In public comment, Varner asked the board to consider an incentive pay of "$25100 a year for EC teachers and instructional assistants" (as stated in the transcript), an incentive of $1,000 a year for bilingual staff, and restoring master's pay for teachers who missed the state cutoff when the legislature removed that supplement.

Varner also asked for non-budgetary actions: improved transparency around budget allocation so staff can better understand how resources are distributed; more input for teachers into professional development priorities; central office support for schools facing critical vacancies (for example, in exceptional children, or EC, positions); and the right for staff to meet with union representatives during non-instructional time.

Board members and staff briefly discussed master's pay during and after the comment. A board member asked for clarification about the year the master's pay cutoff took effect; participants in the meeting said the cutoff was tied to 2013, and staff confirmed employees who had started master's programs by that date continue to receive master's pay while those who started afterward do not. Staff did not provide a specific district cost estimate during the meeting.

The public comment was received; no action was taken during the meeting on the specific budget requests.