Veto Overrides on the Horizon, but Where Is the Budget? |
The North Carolina General Assembly returns to Raleigh on Monday with much anticipation for movement on the two-year (2025-27) budget. After missing their June 30 deadline to have a budget in place before the start of the new fiscal year, lawmakers have left North Carolinians to operate under last year’s spending levels. The House and Senate have proposed their own versions of the budget but haven’t yet been able to come to consensus on a plan that will pass both chambers. Previous reporting identified sticking points such as healthcare funding and Medicaid, raises for teacher and state worker salaries, and tax cuts. But the focus of next week's meetings isn’t the budget. The only items on the House agenda are six bills that Governor Stein vetoed earlier in the year. All have implications for public safety and/or education. The Senate may also take up override votes. SAFETY ERODED Senate Bill 50 "Freedom to Carry NC" makes it a lot easier for people to buy and carry concealed handguns. The bill lowers the purchase age to 18 and removes the requirement to have a permit to purchase. The permit process involves getting a background check and also training on how to use and store firearms. SB 50 removes those requirements. SB 50 faces new scrutiny after the recent high-profile shootings in Colorado and Utah. Upholding the veto should be an easy decision, but the bill’s presence on the calendar suggests that there may be enough votes in place to override Stein's veto. (Senate override passed in July; House may vote Monday.) |
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Senate Bill 153 "NC Border Protection Act" adds numerous bureaucratic requirements to state agencies to assure their full cooperation with federal ICE activities. It also adds unneeded (because they are already prohibited by law) requirements to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing social/health services (e.g. Medicaid benefits). Stein’s veto message points out that the bill removes vital resources from their current role as state law enforcement. (Senate override passed in July; House may vote Monday.) VOUCHERS EXPANDED House Bill 87 "Educational Choice for Children Act" requires North Carolina to opt in to the federal tax credit voucher program. The federal tax credit provision must be approved by governors, so creating this law is an end run around Governor Stein's authority to decide whether NC participates in the program. The bill creates a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to organizations that provide private school vouchers (see our fact sheet). Federal guidance hasn’t been issued yet, so details on voucher use are still unknown. (Override votes pending in both chambers.) DEI ELIMINATED House Bill 171 "Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI," Senate Bill 227 "Eliminating DEI in Public Education," and Senate Bill 558 "Eliminating DEI in Public Higher Education" all add restrictions on programs that promote diversity, equity, or inclusion in public agencies. Senate Bill 227 and SB 558 also include prohibitions on classroom instruction and instructional materials including a list defining prohibited “divisive” concepts. The bills also add reporting requirements to verify that the institution has not engaged in prohibited activities. (Senate override of SB 227 & 558 passed in July; override votes pending on HB 171 in both chambers and on SB 227 & 558 in the House.) Your voice matters! Please contact your legislators to urge them to uphold Governor Stein’s veto of these bills. Ask them to prioritize developing a budget that supports public education, public health, and public safety! |
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Rural Districts Hit Hardest by Federal Education Cuts |
In yet another blow to North Carolina’s rural counties, the federal education cuts proposed by the Trump administration hit their schools the hardest. The administration is proposing $12 billion in cuts to public education nationwide in the 2026 fiscal year, which starts on October 1, 2025. (federal government fiscal years run from October 1- September 30.) The U.S. House and Senate are still working through major differences in their spending bills, so it’s not too late to contact lawmakers and urge them to hold off on proposed cuts. The proposed K-12 federal budget attempts to eliminate more than 40 programs that provide services for the most vulnerable K-12 students. The proposed 27% cut to Title 1 (which provides funding to low-wealth schools) would devastate services in communities that don’t have the resources to make up the funding gaps. Other cuts are to programs that pay for teacher training and development, serve English language learners, and fund education research and data collection. Many cancelled programs are centered on academic excellence and achievement; eliminating them will significantly hinder academic progress across the United States. In North Carolina, congressional districts representing some of the poorest, rural areas in the state are facing cuts that are more than three times that of urban congressional districts. For example, District 8 (Rep. Mark Harris) could lose more than $22 million while District 2 (Rep. Deborah Ross) stands to lose just over $6 million. Rep. Mark Harris (District 8) and Rep. Virginia Foxx (District 5), both members of the House Committee on Education & Workforce, voted to advance the House spending cuts. See an interactive map of how much funding your congressional district will lose if the proposed federal cuts are passed. |
Rep. Tim Moore’s district could lose more than $18 million. As the former NC House Speaker, Mr. Moore knows well that North Carolina’s schools already struggle with insufficient funding. These federal education cuts may prove disastrous for some school districts. The North Carolina House delegation could help save funding for schools by refusing to vote for these cuts. Please check your district and then call your U.S. House Rep. to urge them to protect their constituents by halting the federal education cuts. - 1st district: Donald G. Davis (202) 225-3101
- 2nd district: Deborah K. Ross (202) 225-3032 // (919) 334-0840
- 3rd district: Greg Murphy (202) 225-3415 // (252) 931-1003, (910) 937-6929, (252) 230-3549, (252) 636-6612, and (252) 214-5787
- 4th district: Valerie Foushee (202) 225-1784 // (919) 967-7924
- 5th district: Virginia Foxx (202) 225-2071 // (828) 265-0240 and (336) 778-0211
- 6th district: Addison McDowell (202) 225-3065
- 7th district: David Rouzer (202) 225-2731 // (910) 253-6111, (910) 500-4880, (910) 395-0202
- 8th district: Mark Harris (202) 225-1976 // (704) 218-5300
- 9th district: Richard Hudson (202) 225-3715 // (910) 910-1924 and (919) 997-2072
- 10th district: Pat Harrigan (202) 225-2576 // (828) 327-6100
- 11th district: Chuck Edwards (202) 225-6401 // (828) 435-7310
- 12th district: Alma Adams (202) 225-1510 // (704) 344-9950
- 13th district: Brad Knott (202) 225-4531
- 14th district: Tim Moore (202) 225-5634 // (980) 460-8110
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Legislative and SBE Updates |
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Did You Miss Our Discussion with Superintendent Mo Green? |
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| Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green joined NC PTA and PSFNC for a discussion of the new strategic plan for making North Carolina's schools the best in the nation by 2030. Superintendent Green shared key points about the plan and then answered many questions from participants. An important point he made was that although there are many things educators and DPI can do with current resources, they need more financial support from the NCGA. The strategic plan includes many ambitious timelines, and work has been active in some of the plan's initiatives for several months. There is not a moment to spare, but the reality is that the plan's ambitious goals require better resources. For example, Green pointed to North Carolina's poor teacher pay (lowest of all our neighboring states) as being a barrier to recruiting and retaining educators. It was an informative, engaging and insightful discussion! |
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| Pillar 4 of Achieving Educational Excellence: 2025-30 Strategic Plan for North Carolina Public Schools is Ensure Healthy, Safe and Secure Learning Environments Students and staff in our public schools are not able to achieve educational excellence unless we ensure their safety and well-being. Physical safety must balance effective security measures with maintaining welcoming, nurturing spaces. Overall, schools must be places where students develop resilience, build relationships and prepare for their futures in safe, secure environments that nurture their full potential. Pillar 4 includes seven specific measures of success including these three: - Establish a baseline and increase the number of trained school resource officers (SROs) to support a safe school environment.
- Establish a baseline and increase the proportion of school personnel certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
- Establish a baseline and decrease chronic absenteeism rates across PSUs (Public School Units = traditional and charter schools).
To achieve these goals, the plan identities actions grouped into two focus areas. Each focus area includes multiple actions and target completion dates. Below are two for each focus area. Ensure safe school environments - Strengthen physical security measures in PSUs, such as perimeter control, secured access points and protected internal spaces, through school construction assistance provided by NCDPI. (September 2025)
- Support PSUs in creating safe and secure online learning environments by providing tools, best practices and advanced training for educators on virtual classrooms and secure online interactions. (January 2026)
Improve student and staff health and well-being - Guide PSUs to identify and apply best practices to limit distractions from wireless devices and promote responsible social media use to support safe and focused learning environments . (January 2026)
- Identify and share effective practices for reducing chronic absenteeism and strengthening student attendance. (January 2026)
Superintendent Green is traveling around the state to share the plan and engage stakeholders. Find locations and times at the NCDPI website (scroll down the page to Regional Tour). There are two sessions next week: - Northeast - Thursday, September 25, 2025
- Southeast - Friday, September 26, 2025
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| Public Schools Public Funds (a project of the Education Law Center, has a new fact sheet and updates to important research on the impact of private school vouchers. Their recent two-page fact sheet: The Myths of Cost Savings from Private School Vouchers,demonstrates that voucher programs are expensive, impractical, and unsound. The fact sheet includes new research about the harmful impacts of voucher programs, including the high cost of universal vouchers, instances of significant fraud and abuse, examples of how vouchers subsidize students already attending private school, and a new section about how vouchers actually incentivize private schools to increase tuition costs. “We remain committed to providing advocates with useful research and concise talking points about the numerous harms of voucher programs, said Nicole Ciullo, Associate Director of Policy & Development at Education Law Center, which directs the PFPS campaign. “We encourage public school supporters to use the updated Research page, the fact sheet and all the available resources to strengthen their efforts.” Here are a few of their other great resources: |
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North Carolina Students Deserve Honesty and Action |
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| By Kris Nordstrom, NC Justice Center NC Senator Michael Lee is touting his party’s record on school funding on social media, but it’s a drastic exaggeration. Lee has spent the majority of his time at the NC General Assembly as one of the Senate’s key education budget writers. One would then expect that Lee would be able to provide his followers with an accurate picture of the state of school funding in North Carolina. Unfortunately, he fails to do so. In his post on how public school funding has changed in North Carolina from 2014 to 2024, Lee dramatically overstated the extent of the increase. Lee’s bottom line is that funding increased so much over this ten-year period, that the state is now “investing $1.7 billion more than inflation [would account for] alone.” In reality, per-student funding has only increased slightly during this period due to several factors. An experienced budget writer should know better. READ MORE |
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NC Educators on the Ballot |
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| Educators across the state are running for elected office to help focus more attention on the needs of public education. This is a bipartisan effort, with a number of Republicans running to topple incumbents who have typically voted against education funding. With the loss of federal pandemic relief, upcoming federal education cuts, and lackluster state funding, these educators have decided to take action. Check our their website and support these terrific candidates! NC Educators on the Ballot website Read more about this fabulous effort to make positive change in our state! |
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National Arts in Education Week |
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| National Arts in Education Week September 14-20, 2025. In 2010, Congress designated the week beginning with the second Sunday in September as National Arts in Education Week. During this week, the field of arts education joins together in communities across the country to advocate, educate, and celebrate the impact and transformative power of the arts in education. Every student deserves the opportunity to create, innovate, and thrive through the arts, regardless of zip code or family income. Arts in education drives student success across every measure: - Academic Achievement: Higher test scores and graduation rates
- Workforce Readiness: Building the creativity and collaboration skills that 72% of business leaders say are essential
- Student Wellness: Providing emotional outlets and supportive communities
- Equity: Ensuring all students can access transformative learning experiences
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Words to Remember"If our Court cannot or will not enforce state constitutional rights, those rights do not exist, the constitution is not worth the paper it is written on, and our oath as judicial officers to uphold the constitution is a meaningless charade." — NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls in her dissent to the March 2023 decision to rehear arguments in the Leandro case. |
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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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