In today’s News & Observer articleReport says average NC teacher salary is nearly $54,000. But NCAE says that figure is ‘skewed,’” the leader of the N.C. Association of Educators questions an average teacher salary calculation that has used the same methodology for 17 years.

But NCAE president Mark Jewell said the DPI figures are skewed by factors such as the large number of experienced teachers at the high end of the state pay scale and how some school districts give large local salary supplements. The figures cited by DPI include the average salary supplement of $4,580 provided by districts.

According to a 2018 WRAL story,

Alexis Schauss has been in charge of determining that number since 2002. She is director of school business for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

“On this average teacher compensation number, you can certainly argue against it in certain numbers, but what I do stand by is that we calculate it consistently from year to year,” Schauss said. “So when you’re looking at the trends and the changes, it is a comparable number, at least back to 2002, because that’s when I started. We pretty much haven’t made any changes.”

The calculation of the average teacher pay figure has not changed since 2002.  It has always been skewed by the experience level of the teacher workforce (because teachers are paid based on experience).  It has always included local supplements.

The problem for the NCAE is that the figure does not fit their skewed narrative that Republicans hate teachers.