January 4, 2025

[1]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org
[2]Facebook [3]Twitter [4]Instagram [5]YouTube [6]LinkedIn

Happy New Year: Here's Our 2025 Legislative Agenda!

Public Schools First NC champions one unified, equitable, inclusive, fair,
innovative, and accountable public education system that nurtures and
prepares each child for success in school and life. We believe legislators
should fulfill their constitutional obligation to provide every child with
a sound, basic education.

With this constitutional mandate in mind, and with the goal of ensuring
high-quality educational opportunities for every child, we present our
[7]2025 legislative priorities. (P.S. We are not giving up the fight and we
need your help!)

Prevent the harmful diversion of public tax dollars from traditional public
schools to voucher and charter schools; apply the same policies &
regulations to all schools that receive public tax dollars.

Recent budgets have increased funding for voucher programs by hundreds of
millions of taxpayer dollars each year. Eligibility requirements were
removed, so now the wealthiest families and those who have never attended
public schools are receiving vouchers. Other legislation eased restrictions
on charter school growth while minimizing review processes. These changes
will further damage NC’s public schools and must be reversed before they
cause irreparable harm.
* Use public tax dollars exclusively for public schools.
* Place a moratorium on funding school voucher programs. Restore a cap on
the number of charter schools.
* Require private schools receiving voucher funds to administer the NC
EOG and EOC tests and report student results following the same guidelines
as public schools.
* Increase accountability and financial transparency for charter and
voucher schools that receive public funds.
* Allow local school boards the same flexibility as charter schools
(e.g., calendar flexibility).

Fully fund public schools in accordance with all components of the[8]
Comprehensive Remedial Plan (Leandro Plan). Legislative leaders continue to
fight the 2022 NC Supreme Court ruling that directed the NC Legislature to
fund years two and three of the Comprehensive Remedial Plan. Oral arguments
were heard in February 2024 and nearly 12 months later no ruling has been
released. Because legislative leaders have resisted funding public schools
at the levels required by Leandro, continued advocacy is essential to
ensure that the funding requirements set out in the Comprehensive Remedial
Plan are carried forward, inflation-adjusted, and fully funded.

Repair the teacher pipeline by increasing teacher base pay and restoring
and bolstering essential classroom, teacher, and student supports. Increase
pay for all other school personnel.
* Increase teacher salaries to the national average; reinstate
supplements for advanced degrees.
* Increase per-pupil funding to the national average.
* Significantly expand the Teaching Fellows Program; recruit more
teachers of color.
* Increase supplements and/or pay for high-vacancy positions.
* Pay livable wages and full benefits to all school support personnel.
* Restore full-time teacher assistants for each K-3 classroom.
* Fully fund the class size mandates for grades K-3 and restore class
size caps for grades 4-5.
* Respect curriculum integrity and teachers' professionalism and
decision-making authority.
* Increase mentoring support and professional development, especially for
new teachers.

Reverse policies that unfairly and inequitably target public schools.
* Revise the current A-F grading system and replace it with a more valid
and reliable way to evaluate school effectiveness; apply the same system to
voucher schools.
* Reverse policies tying principal pay to school performance grades or
apply the same policy to charter schools and private schools receiving
voucher funds.

Increase the number of helping professionals in schools and adopt universal
trauma-informed curricula/programs that focus on social and emotional
learning.
* Increase funding to hire more professionals (e.g., school
psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses to nationally
recommended levels).
* Provide better mental health services and access for all children and
families.
* Provide trauma-informed training for all school staff with an emphasis
on social and emotional learning.

Provide universal access to high-quality Pre-K in every county.
* Implement universal Pre-K for all eligible children; eliminate the 27K
backlog of children waiting for NC Pre-K services.
* Invest in the early childhood educator pipeline by increasing state
supplements for salaries.

Fund universal school meals for all students.
* Provide school meal programs for all children in NC public schools
(access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to their families).
* Eliminate the shame and stigma students experience due to an inability
to pay for school meals.

Increase funding for special education students.
* Remove the cap on special education funding to allow coverage of all
eligible students.
* Increase spending levels at the state level to fully fund special
education services and adjust funding to cover the true cost of providing
services for students with more serious disabilities.

Create safe and supportive learning environments for all students and
teachers.
* Support policies that ensure safe, secure, inviting, and respectful
schools for all students and educators.
* Implement positive approaches to discipline such as restorative justice
programs.
* Keep guns off school grounds.
* Implement required violence prevention and threat-reporting programs at
all schools.

Eliminate the digital divide.
* Support access for K-12 students and educators to high-speed broadband
internet; provide free hotspots for WIFI for homeless school-age children
and their families.
* Provide devices for at-home use for students and educators.
* Improve infrastructure for broadband in rural and low-income
communities.

We will monitor the NC General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session for
actions that impact public education. In addition to reading our
newsletter, to ensure that you receive up-to-date information, check our
website where we post our legislative updates: [9]Week in Review. As
important legislative actions happen in the coming year, we will alert the
public via Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, BlueSky, newsletters, webinars,
audiocasts and on our website.

We invite you to join in advocating for our children. By large margins,
North Carolinians support fully and fairly funding our public schools. They
support making sure students have the classroom resources and
well-qualified teachers they need to develop critical thinking skills and
become productive and contributing members of our society.

We are looking for public education advocates from EVERY COUNTY to join our
statewide [10]Public Education Network (NC PEN). Advocates will help us
share information and keep us informed about emerging local issues that
impact public schools. Check out our [11]County Profile Data to find key
educational information about your county. Please join the network and be
our PEN pal! Email us to sign up at [email protected].

North Carolina's Long and Short Sessions

On January 8, the North Carolina General Assembly will begin its 2025-26
legislative session. The NCGA operates on a 2-year schedule, so every other
year (the odd-numbered years) it has a long session and continues work in a
short session during the following (even-numbered) years.

The long sessions start in early January and are scheduled to end by June
30 but may be extended as needed for the legislature to conclude its
business for the year. For example, in 2023, the long session [12]adjourned
on October 25.The state’s fiscal year begins July 1, so when budgets are
not signed into law by June 30, operations continue under the previous
year’s budget. This can have a very disruptive impact on school systems
which need financial information (e.g., state salary rates) for the
upcoming school year.

Short sessions are a continuation of the previous year’s long session. They
typically start in late April and end on June 30, though like long
sessions, short sessions may also be extended while the NCGA concludes
essential business. In 2024, the regular short session [13]adjourned on
June 28. Between sessions, the NCGA generally convenes at least once a
month to address ongoing legislative needs or emergencies. The bill
adjourning each session lists the planned dates for subsequent meetings.

In fall 2024, the NCGA met more frequently than initially planned to
address Hurricane Helene relief and pass “mini” budget adjustments such as
[14]House Bill 10 to increase voucher funding and require sheriffs to
cooperate with ICE. It also met several times after the November election
to pass [15]Senate Bill 382, which made major changes to election laws and
executive powers.

A major legislative task for the NCGA during the long sessions is to
develop a 2-year budget which sets state spending for the following two
years unless changes (i.e. budget adjustments) are made during the short
sessions. In the 2023 long session, the NCGA passed the [16]2023
Appropriations Act, which included budgets for FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.
The 2024 short session concluded without a 2024 Appropriations Act to make
systematic budget adjustments. As a result, teachers and other state staff
along with all agencies reliant on state funds were left to deal with
rising expenses and no new state revenue. Educators in their 15th through
24th years of teaching received a paltry[17] $820 annual state salary
increase.

Numerous non-budget laws are passed each session as well. Many impact
education, including school calendar laws, charter school policies, voucher
guidelines, teacher/principal licensure regulations, and school safety
policies.

The 2025-26 session is a new opportunity for legislators to fully fund our
public schools and make major investments in our communities. As the new
year begins, we are hopeful that the new NCGA will prioritize our state’s
students and make decisions that will improve public schools, bolster the
teacher pipeline, and raise North Carolina from its current rank as second
worst state in the nation in [18]public education funding effort.

Legislative and SBE Updates

The 2025 legislative long session officially begins on Wednesday January 8.
Both chambers will convene at noon.

Check their [19]calendar for updates.
* House [20]livestream
* Senate [21]audio

The State Board of Education meets January 8-9 for its regular monthly
meeting. You can get meeting information, agenda, and streaming link
[22]here.

In Case You Missed It

[23]Maurice "Mo" Green sworn in as North Carolina Superintendent of Public
Instruction

[24]New NC superintendent plans listening sessions across the state

[25]Finalists for NCCAT 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher
of the Year Award announced

[26]Arizona regulators closed a failing charter school. It reopened as a
private religious school funded by taxpayers.

[27]TCAP scores show Tennessee ESA voucher schools under performing in
proficiency to public schools.

[28]Where could Trump tariffs hit school budgets?

How to Fight Vouchers in 2025!

The Public Funds Public Schools webinar series continues in 2025! The first
webinar of the year takes on the escalating threats posed by private school
vouchers: How to Fight Vouchers in 2025: A Toolkit for Advocates.

Wednesday, January 15, 2- 3 p.m.

The webinar features representatives from PFPS and invited guests who will
share information, resources, tools, and tips to help advocates prepare for
crucial state and federal legislative fights over private school voucher
programs in 2025.

Highlights include:
* An overview of PFPS advocacy tools, including demonstrations of the
PFPS bill tracker and our new private and public school student enrollment
data tool;
* Insights from Education Law Center Senior Fellow Josh Cowen, a leading
national expert on private school vouchers; and
* A presentation by Nicole Fuller of the National Coalition for Public
Education on federal voucher legislation and resources to fight voucher
bills.

The webinar will be moderated by PFPS Director Jessica Levin.

[29]REGISTER HERE

Request A Speaker!

Need a speaker for your next event or group meeting? PSFNC welcomes the
opportunity to speak to your group or organization on public
education-related topics.

We offer our programs virtually to improve accessibility and attendance and
therefore extend your reach. Our services are free of charge but may
require travel-related expenses if the program is in-person.

Email us at [email protected] for more information.

Words to Remember

“After more than 20 years of working in education, I am humbled and honored
that North Carolinians have chosen me to lead our public schools. I believe
that North Carolina's public school system desperately needs a bold vision,
direction and, ultimately, a plan that can galvanize all North Carolinians.
Achieving Educational Excellence and becoming the best public school system
in the country is my vision for North Carolina's public schools. We can
realize this vision by combining high academic achievement and strong
character development with a relentless pursuit of excellence.”

— Mo Green, NC Superintendent of Public Instruction, January 1, 2025

Help us support public schools!

Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit
focused solely

on pre-K to 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents,
teachers, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina
to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares each
child for productive citizenship.

[30]DONATE HERE

[31]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

References

1. [link removed]
2. [link removed]
3. [link removed]
4. [link removed]
5. [link removed]
6. [link removed]
7. [link removed]
8. [link removed]
9. [link removed]
10. [link removed]
11. [link removed]
12. [link removed]
13. [link removed] it resolved by the,, at 12:00 noon.
14. [link removed]
15. [link removed]
16. [link removed]
17. [link removed]
18. [link removed]
19. [link removed]
20. [link removed]
21. [link removed]
22. [link removed]
23. [link removed]
24. [link removed]
25. [link removed]
26. [link removed]
27. [link removed]
28. [link removed]
29. [link removed]
30. [link removed]
31. [link removed]
Unsubscribe:
[link removed]
This message was sent to [email protected] from [email protected]

Public Schools First NC
PO Box 37832
Raleigh, NC 27627
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

iContact - Engage, WOW, and grow your audience: [link removed]