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A key member of a state legislative committee considering pay increases for
UNC System employees says raises likely will be included in the state's 1998-99
budget.
While he called the spending plan a "work in progress," District 16 Sen.
Howard Lee said he is "very optimistic" that Gov. Jim Hunt's proposed higher
education budget--which calls for a 4 percent raise and bonuses--will remain
intact.
"Everything he [Hunt] proposed in the salary category is holding together
pretty well," said Lee, co-chair of the N.C.
Senate Appropriations Committee on Education/Higher Education, which reviews
the proposal.
Along with a 4 percent raise, Hunt's package includes a 1 percent bonus for
non-teaching personnel and a 2 percent faculty bonus intended to reward
teaching excellence. Lee said both the Senate and the N.C. House of
Representatives see the governor's plan "as a minimum" of what legislators want
to do on salary increases.
Lee said a strong North Carolina economy has made increases possible. If
approved as part of the state budget, raises will take effect July 1.
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