(NC) Teacher bonuses sliced by almost 30% for 2009

RALEIGH - Public-school teachers in North Carolina will see their annual performance bonuses sliced by almost 30 percent under a plan approved by the State Board of Education yesterday.

It's the first time that they won't receive the maximum amount the program allows, a move necessitated by a cap on the state money used to pay for the bonuses and an increase in the number of schools qualifying for the merit pay.

This year, state legislators limited education officials to spending no more than $94.3 million on educators' bonuses, even though education officials had cautioned that they needed millions more to give teachers and assistants the maximum amount.

Board Chairman Howard Lee said that it's unfortunate that teachers won't receive the full amount but he understands that the state was facing a budget crunch. A reduced bonus is better than nothing, he said.

"There are corporations and businesses in our state that are not able to give raises to their employees," Lee said.