Marty Mentzer is running as a Democrat to represent District 4 of Brunswick County’s Board of Education. As a retired teacher with over two decades of experience, she says her number one issue is increasing teacher pay and morale.
Marty Mentzer says state cuts to education spending have discouraged teachers. But she says local actions could help pick up the slack left by state lawmakers:
“Locally, we need to find ways to fund a raise in teacher supplements and to reinstate longevity pay at the local level. I know New Hanover County is doing some really good things to draw in teachers at high-risk schools where it’s more difficult and challenging as a teacher. They offer a 14% raise over what Brunswick County is offering, so some of our teachers are coming up here to teach.”
Mentzer says Brunswick County is also losing teachers across the state line, since they can get thousands more dollars per year in South Carolina.
Mentzer is running against Republican Ellen Milligan.