The North Carolina General Assembly sent a $22.3 billion budget to Gov. Pat McCrory’s desk last week.

State-funded teachers can expect to see an average 4.7 percent raise during the 2016-17 year, with percentages ranging from 2-13 percent based on the number of years teaching, The Associated Press reports.

The budget gives substantial boosts to newer and veteran teachers, while the ones on the middle of the salary scale are left with little.

The Associated Press uses this example: a 19-year teacher with a $43,500 salary will see it increase to $48,000, but a 10-year teacher with a $40,000 salary with only see an increase to $41,000.

Make no mistake — it’s a positive move for the General Assembly to give educators a much-needed and well-deserved raise. Legislators should be congratulated on this.

However, the work is far from over. This raise looks good on paper, but in the context of real life, with cost-of-living expenses rising, it’s important to stay vigilant of what these numbers really mean.

Also, consider the 10-year teacher. Getting the lowest raise out of all teachers on the pay scale can be a tough blow when one has put in a decade of work. Educators who have worked for more than 32 years (a total of 2,700 in the state) will see no raise at all because they are compensated based on a separate pay scale.

These factors show the gaps that are left when it comes to pay raises for teachers.

In the coming years, there will undoubtedly be more problems in education funding, but legislators should commit to making educators a top priority — not just saying they will do so.

It is vital to North Carolina for legislators to continue to strive to make teaching a better career field in which to work, as well as compensate educators like they deserve. The state’s future rides on it.