Senate Budget Falls Short

The Senate took an important step in the road toward a biennium budget on Monday when it released its budget proposal: Senate Bill 257 “2025 Appropriations Act.” Following a pattern set in previous years, the bill contains many non-budgetary policy changes that could be addressed outside the budget process. The bill was also put on an extremely fast track, leaving members little time to read and consider its contents.

The budget passed through the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Pensions, Retirement and Aging on Tuesday and was brought to the full Senate for a vote on Wednesday. After hours of debate and several amendments, the bill passed and will be sent to the House for consideration as the House prepares its own budget proposal.

The budget appropriates $700,000,000 from reserve accounts for hurricane relief, which will be welcome news for those still working to recover from Helene. (p. 49) The budget also shifts from existing programs such as transportation to disaster relief, however, families sending their children to private schools are still slated to get the $731,000,000 currently appropriated in the base budget for 2025-26.

Teacher Pay. In sharp contrast to Governor Stein's budget recommendations which give teachers an average raise of 5.7% for next year, the Senate budget gives a skimpy 1.25% raise (p.127). The current inflation rate is 2.4%, so the Senate is effectively giving our public school educators a pay cut. A WRAL report indicates that teachers are making about 13% less than they made in 2008.

The budget continues funding for some bonus programs that reward teachers who teach advanced courses (e.g., AP, IB), career and technical education courses (CTE), or whose students met certain growth criteria on EOG or EOC tests. (p.129)

Perhaps in anticipation of continuing high teacher attrition rates over the coming years, the Senate budget establishes “the AI Academic Support Program to allow public schools (traditional and charter) to contract with Kahn Academy for academic support services in grades 6 - 12. Their program “Kahnmigo” is an application that uses AI to help teachers create lesson plans and provide tutoring to students. (p.108)

However, the budget also establishes a competitive grant program to bolster the teacher pipeline. The Teacher Apprenticeship Program allows for apprentices to work in schools that have established apprenticeship programs and an Advanced Teaching Roles unit. Apprentices must have a bachelor’s degree and have an emergency teaching license, a residency license, or a permit to teach in NC.(p. 121)

Although both the House and Senate have already moved forward bills to address cell phones in classrooms, the budget bill also included a cell phone policy. It requires districts and charter schools to develop wireless communication (e.g., cell phones, tablet/laptop computers) policies that at minimum “prohibit students from using, displaying, or having a wireless communication device turned on during instructional time.” Exceptions include teacher authorized instructional use, student IEP requirement, and medical need. (p. 117)

Despite making major changes to the charter school authorization and oversight processes in the 2023 Charter School Omnibus Bill, the Senate went further in the budget bill. It shifts more authority over charter schools away from the State Board of Education to the Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB). The bill gives authority to propose, recommend, and approve rules and policies regarding all aspects of charter school operation to the CSRB. Previously the CSRB had authority to make recommendations to the State Board of Education, but final decisions were made by the State Board. (p. 110)

For more information on the budget:

Senate passes budget plan with tax cuts, employee raises, Helene aid and DOGE-style review.

This week, House Bill 636 "Promoting Wholesome Content for Students" passed through the House Education K-12 committee and the full House after contentious debate. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

House Bill 806 "Public Schools Operational Relief" was scheduled to be discussed at the House Education K-12 committee on Wednesday, but the meeting was canceled. It is currently on the calendar for April 29.

Public Schools First sent out an Action Alert that describes the bills' problematic content. Please check it and take action to halt these bills in their tracks.

NC Senate Budget Sides with the Wealthy Few

Faced With Pausing Tax Cuts for the Rich or Lowering State Spending, NC Senate Budget Sides with the Wealthy Few

With the release of their budget proposal Monday night, Senate budget writers brazenly and unequivocally put tax cuts for corporations and the richest North Carolinians above any other priority for the state. Wednesday night, a mere 48 hours after the more than 1,000 pages of bill text and budget documents were released to the public and most lawmakers, the majority of State senators cast their vote in support of the proposal. They did so after blocking numerous amendments that would have redirected proposed giveaways for corporations and the wealthy few into increased funding for child care, paid leave, and more. READ MORE

Legislative and SBE Updates

The NCGA is adjourned until Monday, April 28. The crossover deadline is May 8, so there will be a lot of activity after April 28. For a bill to become law, it must be passed through the chamber where it originated and sent to the other chamber to achieve "crossover."

Check the legislative calendar for daily updates!

Read our Week in Review for a summary of legislative actions and the status of bills.

"This State Shouldn't be 49th in Anything"

RALEIGH (April 16, 2025) – North Carolina business leaders gathered for a webinar hosted by Public Ed Works Wednesday to discuss the vital connection between education and business.

Each panelist shared how education has contributed to the success of their business and how they want to support learning in our state going forward.

Tom Oxholm, retired Executive Vice President of Wake Stone Corporation…feels it’s important for business leaders to invest in public education. He believes not everyone is aware of the issues educators deal with today.

“In our teacher pay scale, after you finish 14 years as a teacher, you have no scheduled raises for the next 10 years,” Oxholm said. “Who in their right mind as an employer would say, ‘Hey, we want you to come to work at Wake Stone, and you’ll do fine for 14 years, but then, you’re not going to get any more raises.’”

Another panelist, former President of Merck Manufacturing Division Willie Deese, said business leaders want to attract the best talent, and the best way to do that is with great education.

“You’re not just competing against neighboring states, or states across the U.S.,” Deese said. “You’re competing against the globe.” READ MORE

In Case You Missed It

If US schools are censored, students will struggle to form their own opinions

by Darrah Harrison, Western Carolina University, originally published April 5 in the Asheville-Citizen Times

Schools serve as battlegrounds for young minds to thrive or be beaten down. Nowadays, many books reflecting our current political climate in the U.S. and the real hardships of our past have been banned. Since 2021, over 16,000 of these books have been banned, according to PENAmerica. Titles such as "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood, "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult,and "Looking for Alaska" by John Green are among them. These stories serve as warnings of the future and lessons from past mistakes, yet they are being swept away by our state’s elected officials. It is not only the government taking part in this censorship but also groups like Pender County Concerned Citizens and school boards in Catawba County. READ MORE

Book Event: Autism Out Loud!

Join us for an evening with vlogger and author Dr. Adrian Wood, Tales of An Educated Debutante.

Adrian will talk with us about her new book, Autism Out Loud: Life With A Child On The Spectrum, From Diagnosis to Adulthood. Adrian’s “Tales of An Educated Debutante” is her blog and “vlog” where she “offers personal glimpses where satire meets truth, faith meets irony, despair meets joy and this educated debutante escapes the laundry and finds true meaning in graceful transparency.” With lots of humor and honesty, Adrian shares her experiences as a mom of four and how her youngest child changed their family for the better.

You won’t want to miss this fun event!

Your $50 ticket includes a signed copy of Autism Out Loud. Refreshments and beverages included. Get your Tickets here.

We’re excited to offer a limited number of FREE tickets to public school educators. If you’re a teacher, please contact us at [email protected] for details.

April 24 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

Words to Remember

"The defining issue here is: Do you care about other people’s kids or not? Do we want to live in a world that’s based on an understanding of a public good, or one where only the individual good matters?"

— Beth Lewis, Save Our Schools Arizona

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.

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]