Critical Mission: Saving The U.S. Dept. of Education |
The flurry of executive orders from the White House continued this week along with news of an executive order being drafted to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Although the White House doesn’t have authority to dismantle the ED outright, it could take steps to roll back/freeze current initiatives and enforcement efforts while disrupting/firing employees who are responsible for carrying out essential functions.
The White House is also likely to pressure Congress to shift ED responsibilities to other agencies. While these efforts have failed in the past, the new administration seems determined to pressure lawmakers to do its bidding.
It is worth noting that one of the primary purposes of creating the U.S. Department of Education in 1980 was to promote increased efficiency. Before 1980, functions of the Office of Education were located in various departments such as the Department of Interior, and U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare which resulted in “duplicative burdens and constraints.”
Most of the money for education in North Carolina comes from state and local funds, but a significant amount comes from the federal government, especially for low-income schools. These funds provide critical services for our state's neediest children.
In 2023-24, 17% of funds for North Carolina education came from the federal government while 60% came from the state and 23% came from local coffers. Low-income districts receive a higher percentage from the federal government. For example, Weldon City Schools, a Title 1 district, relied on the federal government for 28% of its funds.
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The role of the U.S. Department of Education falls into a few main categories; most of its work is established by federal law, so change will require action by Congress.
Ensuring equal access to education and preventing discrimination. Title 1 funding provides billions to state and local school systems, especially to low-income districts. Title 1 funding is required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This law also provides funding for other underserved communities, including English language learners, students with disabilities, and students in rural communities.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)—based on a law that dates back to 1975—supports states and communities in protecting the rights of students with disabilities and meeting the needs of children with disabilities and their families.
The ED also enforces civil rights laws such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin and Title IX, which prevents discrimination in federally funded education on the basis of sex.
Establishing policies on federal financial aid for college, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds. The federal government administers several grant programs (e.g. Pell Grants) for low-income students, and it manages the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is required for students to get access to college financial aid. The ED also manages the federal student portfolio of approximately $1.6 trillion in student debt.
Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research. The most widely known data national collection program is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been monitoring student achievement since 1969. But NAEP is just one of many roles of the National Center for Education Statistics, which was established in 1987 to collect and analyze data about education in the U.S.
All of these functions are vital in ensuring that educators, families, and students across the nation have access to the information and resources they need to ensure that every child, regardless of ability or geography, has access to a quality public education.
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Teacher Pay Still at the Bottom |
Since 2011, the NC General Assembly (NCGA) has systematically cut teacher benefits and given lower-than-inflation pay raises, severely diminishing the conditions for the state’s public school educators and crippling the recruitment and retention of our teaching professionals. Each legislative session, the NCGA has the opportunity to reverse course and send the message that it values public education and our teachers. An essential step is to adjust the base salaries (paid by the state) to a competitive level.
The State Salary Schedule, which sets North Carolina teachers’ base (minimum) salary, starts certified beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree and no experience at $41,000 in 2024-25.
North Carolina has the lowest starting salary of states in the southern region that publish a state minimum salary schedule, even lower than Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation.
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The minimum salary trajectory for the southern region also shows that for most years North Carolina’s minimum salary lags behind other states except for a few years when the minimum salary slightly outpaces South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi.
But because the North Carolina state salaries are frozen during years 15 through 24, they soon fall back to the lowest in the region. This creates a clear competitive disadvantage for North Carolina in attracting and retaining teachers. Teachers don’t have to move very far to experience a much better financial situation.
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During the 2024 legislative short session, the NCGA had the opportunity to give teachers a substantial pay raise. Instead, the legislature added $480 million to the private school voucher fund. This money could have gone toward paying our teachers a competitive wage rather than to a program that depletes our public schools.
Between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, the salary for a first-year teacher increased by $2,000, a 5.13% bump that was still too small to raise the starting salary above Mississippi's starting salary.
Teachers with 7 years to 25+ years of experience received a salary increase of 2% or less. For example, teachers in their 15th through 24th years of teaching made only $820 more in 2024-25 than in 2023-24, a 1.55% increase.
Read our fact sheet for more information and contact your legislators to urge them to substantially raise teacher salaries this year!
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NC Teacher on Teacher Pay |
As part of their Teachers Talk series, this week Public Education Works features Erin Walsh, a math teacher at Onslow Early College High School.
Erin retired from teaching and returned as a part-time educator so she could make more money. In her video, she shares the changes she has seen in her 29 years as a North Carolina educator and suggestions for what the state must do to attract the best and brightest.
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Legislative and SBE Updates |
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On Monday, the House and Senate convenes to continue their work. The House begins at 11:00 (livestream) and the Senate begins at 3:00 (audio).
Keep your eye on the legislative calendar for updates. Dates and times change frequently.
Check our Week in Review for highlights of legislative actions and the status of bills. Below are a few highlights:
House Bill 47 "Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part 1" appropriates $500 million for additional disaster relief. This is slightly more than the amount appropriated to private school vouchers for 24-25 by HB10 passed in November.
House Bill 55 "Publish Central Office Employment Information" requires public school districts to publish on a website the salaries of all central office employees. The bill makes no mention of salary transparency for voucher-receiving private schools.
Senate Bill 48 " Access to Sports and Extracurriculars for All" would permit students who attend private schools or home schools to participate in sports or other extracurricular programs at their local public school.
In its monthly meeting the State Board of Education passed its legislative priorities with a provision urging state lawmakers to halt all new voucher funding.
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Last Friday, a number of senators, including both N.C. senators, introduced a bill that would provide $10 billion in annual tax credits to fund private and religious schools.
Senate Bill 292 "Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), establishes tax credits for individuals and corporations who make charitable contributions to organizations that give scholarships – or vouchers – for students to attend private schools.
This is simply another way to divert money away from the public good. Vouchers overwhelmingly fund wealthy families who already send their children to private school.
Please call our senators and urge them to reject this BAD BILL! Their DC office and NC office numbers are shown below. You can call them all! If you get a busy signal, just keep trying. It may take several attempts.
Ted Budd: (202)224-3154, (336)941-4470, (828)333-4130, (984)349-5061, and (910)218-7600
Thom Tillis: (202)224-6342, (704)509-9087, (252)329-0371, (828)693-8750, (336)885-0685, and (919)856-4630
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February 27, 7:00 p.m. A Conversation with Mo Green, NC Superintendent of Public Instruction
Join NC PTA and Public Schools First NC for the first in our series of interviews with new public education leaders. Green was elected in November, 2024 to serve as NC Superintendent of Public Instruction.
We will talk to Superintendent Green about his vision for the Department of Public Instruction and public schooling in North Carolina. Q & A with the audience if time allows.
REGISTER HERE
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Virtual Office Hours with NCPTA & PSFNC |
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Join us (NCPTA, PSFNC) monthly during the legislative session for updates on bills, policy or budget changes, etc. that impact public education. Bring your questions and suggestions; participate in the conversation to support our public schools.
Office hours will be held via Zoom on Thursdays from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. on the following dates:
- February 20
- March 20
- April 17
- May 15
- June 19
Join HERE
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Multiple Dates, 7:00-8:30 pm: Resilience and ACES. Learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and resilience. Join us for this award-winning, 60-minute film, Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope. This documentary examines how abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences affect children’s development & health outcomes in adulthood. This powerful movie is a conversation starter and a perspective changer.
REGISTER HERE
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All screenings are on Thursday and include time for discussion. Invite a friend and contact us about setting up a private screening for your school staff, PTA, civic group, church, or synagogue.
- February 26
- March 27
- April 24
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Opportunity for Aspiring Teachers! |
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Do you know an aspiring teacher?
If yes, they may be eligible for a scholarship from NCAE's charitable arm, the NC Foundation for Public School Children. The Mary Morrow-Edna Richards Scholarship is an opportunity for high school seniors and college juniors who want to teach in North Carolina. The deadline to apply is February 15!
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Support the schools in your community by joining the North Carolina PTA . You don’t have to have a child in a school or be an educator to join.
Consider joining the NCPTA-Member-At-Large PTA – the perfect PTA membership for community members!
If you do have a child in school, please contact the school directly to join the PTA.
NCPTA partners with Givebacks to provide online membership payment for PTAs. You can search this table to see a list of schools and sign up. If you do not see your PTA listed, online payments may not have been activated in your PTA’s Givebacks site.
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Words to Remember
"Millions of families of color as well as poor whites stand to lose as they truly have no choice other than to enroll their children in underfunded, segregated schools, public, private, or charter. Choice has provided a safety net for some but the majority are in peril."
— Jon Hale, The Choice We Face p. 165
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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.
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