GREENSBORO, NC -- A Texas school district is looking for more North Carolina teachers to hire.
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is recruiting the teachers through an ad posted in the News & Record newspaper.
The school district seems to be aware of North Carolina teachers' low pay, which is among the lowest in the nation. In the post, it says teacher's starting salaries would be $49,100.
Here's a statement WFMY News 2 received from Houston Independent School District officials:
"With more than 280 schools serving nearly 200,000 students district-wide, Houston Independent School District is always looking for the best and brightest teachers to lead our students to achieve the highest academic levels. We draw a large percentage of recruits from Texas, however, we recruit across the nation. We follow national trends and leverage industry data to find educators who are strong critical thinkers, excellent problem solvers and are constantly looking for ways to improve their craft," said Sheleah Reed with the Houston Independent School District.
At the helm of HISD is Superintendent Terry B. Grier. Before joining HISD in 2009, Grier was the superintendent at Guilford County Schools from 2000-08.
According to HISD's website, the school officials will be in Raleigh on Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Then, HISD is holding a recruiting event Thursday in Greensboro for the 2014-15 school year. The job fair will be at the Double Tree Greensboro, 3030 High Point Road. HISD hiring officials will be there from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Officials will also hold a job fair in Charlotte on Friday, July 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
A study from the National Education Association ranked North Carolina 46th in the nation for teacher pay. The state's average salary is $45,737 – more than $10,000 below the national average.
In April, Wake County school officials reported a 41 percent increase in teacher resignations in 2014.
In the beginning of May, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory unveiled a proposal that would increase teacher pay across the state. McCrory's plan includes an increase in base pay for teachers that would not be less than $35,000.
