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January 10, 2026

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

2026 Must Be a Public Education Year!

It’s a new year and a new election cycle is coming up fast. All elections
matter for public education and 2026 is no different. From federal races,
all the way down ballot to local, county races, your commitment as a
pro-public education voter is critical. The primary is where we start! The
primary for the November elections is March 3rd with early voting starting
in all NC counties on February 12th. Find all the important dates, voter
registration deadlines and more at [7]NCSBE.GOV and NC LWV - [8]Vote 411.

North Carolina is experiencing the effects of more than a decade of attacks
on public schools. We see the great harm that elected officials, especially
at the state level, have done. State legislators couldn’t even pass a
budget in 2025, an essential duty that local school districts rely on.
Adding to this harm, we’ve experienced historic attacks on public education
at the federal level. It’s time to turn the tide. Do your research to find
out which candidates will support our communities best by strengthening our
public schools and truly supporting our educators as the professionals they
are.

Elected officials at ALL levels of government have an impact on education.
We’ve created a [9]fact sheet to help you understand how each level of
government, and those who hold those offices, impact public schools. They
are essential in promoting and supporting healthy, well-resourced public
schools. Take the time to learn the views of candidates on public education
before you vote!

Many primary races will have a huge impact, so make sure to research your
candidates' stances on public education.

Our North Carolina House and Senate members determine the state education
budget. If pro-public education members are elected, the funding denied for
30 years under the Leandro case could finally be allocated to districts! We
could see real funding improvements for public schools across the state. We
could also see competitive teacher salaries, better funding for early
childhood education and NC Pre-K, and a halt to voucher expansion among
many other needed changes.

Don't miss this important chance to make your voice heard in support of
quality education for ALL students and a strong future for ALL communities
in North Carolina!

Use our social media tools to let your friends know YOU are a Public
Education Voter and invite them to join you!

Top 6 in 2026! PSFNC's Legislative Priorities

Public Schools First NC champions one unified, equitable, inclusive,
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 TOP 6 legislative priorities for 2026.

1.Fully fund public schools to the national average or better using the
Leandro [10]Comprehensive Remedial Plan as a guide. Because legislative
leaders have resisted funding public schools at the levels required by
Leandro and have consistently underfunded public education, North Carolina
now ranks a dismal 50th for funding level and 50th for funding effort.
Continued advocacy is essential to ensure the requirements set out in the
Comprehensive Remedial Plan are carried forward, inflation-adjusted, and
fully funded. Seven key areas are identified:
* Teacher development & recruitment to ensure each classroom is staffed
with a high-quality teacher.
* A system of principal development & recruitment to ensure each school
has a high-quality principal.
* A finance system that provides adequate, equitable, and predictable
funding to school districts and adequate resources to address the needs of
all schools and students. This includes increasing funding for special
education students and removing the cap on the number of students.
* A reliable assessment & accountability process that uses multiple
student performance measures.
* An assistance/turnaround function that provides beneficial support to
low-performing schools.
* A system of early education that provides access to high-quality
prekindergarten.
* An alignment of high school to postsecondary and career expectations as
well as the provision of early postsecondary and workforce learning
opportunities.

2.Stop 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 North Carolina’s public schools and must be stopped 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 &
voucher schools using public funds.
* Allow local school boards the same flexibility as charter schools
(e.g., calendar flexibility).

[11]READ MORE

Join Us on wEDnesdays for Public Schools!

Join NCPTA and PSFNC and many other education advocates for wEDnesdays for
Public Schools. We will meet on the second Wednesday of the month (January
- April) in front of the NCGA (Legislative Building) to speak up for NC’s
public schools!

Bring your signs and your friends and join us! [12]Sign up here.

11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

State Legislative Building at 140 E Jones Street, Raleigh
* January 14
* February 11
* March 11
* April 8

Legislative and SBE Updates

The NCGA meets again on Monday, January 12, 2026. Both the House & Senate
are scheduled to convene at 10:00 a.m.

Check the [13]legislative calendar for committee meetings, updates, and
streaming information.

The NC Charter Schools Review Board meets Monday, January 12 at 9 a.m. for
its regular monthly meeting in room 755 of the Education Building, 301 N.
Wilmington St., Raleigh. Find the [14]agenda here. The meeting will be
[15]live streamed.

North Carolina Is At the Bottom of the Rankings for Public School Funding.
It Doesn't Have to Be That Way

Each year, the Education Law Center publishes its “Making the Grade”
report, ranking the 50 states and Washington, D.C. on their funding for
public education. Most of us — across race, place, and background — all
want to live in a North Carolina where everyone has access to a great
public education, teachers make a livable wage, and we can build the
foundation for a more secure future. However, [16]December 2025's "Making
the Grade" release shows that NC has dropped to second-to-last in
cost-adjusted, per-pupil funding.

This is only the latest chapter of the same long and tiring story: State
funding for public education in North Carolina has declined while [17]some
state lawmakers have repeatedly chosen to give corporations and the
wealthiest giveaways in the form of tax cuts.

Steep state tax cuts have proved incompatible with adequate funding for the
Department of Public Instruction

While some state lawmakers continue to pretend that endless tax cuts for
corporations and the richest North Carolinians are not coming at the
expense of our public schoolchildren, the facts tell a different story.

[18]READ MORE

A Jarring New NC Teacher Protest Could Be a Turning Point for Public
Schools

By Ned Barnett, associate opinion editor at the News and Observer

The sight of poor people standing on busy street corners holding hand-drawn
cardboard signs asking for money is as familiar as it is sad.

But it was new and jarring on Wednesday to see public school teachers take
up the role of street corner pleaders.

About 700 teachers[19] took to the streets in four counties — Wake, New
Hanover, Mecklenburg and Gaston — to draw public attention to their paltry
pay and underfunded school services. It was the first of a series of
demonstrations to be held on the seventh of each month by a loosely formed
but growing group called Teachers Take Action.

These teachers are not destitute, but their presence represents a broader
poverty – the deprivation of North Carolina’s public schools.

For more than a decade, the Republican-controlled General Assembly has
neglected to pay teachers what they deserve or even what they need.

North Carolina currently ranks [20]43rd nationally in average teacher pay.
An analysis by the Education Law Center ranked North Carolina [21]last in
overall school funding. The result has been an exodus of experienced
teachers, deteriorating school buildings, a severe shortage of school
nurses and counselors, and many thousands of children shortchanged on their
education and their prospects.

[22]READ MORE

In Case You Missed It

[23]New Hanover County school board plans to advance exceptional children
funding request

[24]NC shortchanges its children - on purpose

[25]State Board of Education approves new reading standards

[26]As Trump freezes childcare funding nationwide, NC lawmakers are faced
with impact on families in the state

[27]Privatizing Just to Privatize

Did You Know?

DID You Know that the state only pays extra funding to districts for
exceptional children's (EC) education up to 13% of the district enrollment?
If a district's student population has more than 13% EC students, the
district must make up the funding gap.

To make matters worse, all EC students are funded at the same level,
regardless of the severity of their educational needs. A student needing
one hour of service receives the same amount in funding as a student
needing full-day support, physical therapy, and speech therapy.

Even worse, state funding to public schools for EC students is far less
than state funding for the ESA+ vouchers. Students with specific
disabilities (e.g., autism, hearing loss) receive up to $17,000 through
ESA+ vouchers. Public schools receive approximately $13,500 per student
([28]state PPE + [29]additional EC funding).

Mark Your Calendar!

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.

[30]REGISTER HERE

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.
* January 22, 2026
* February 26, 2026
* March 26, 2026

Words to Remember

"As we entered the 21st century, North Carolina was 20th in teacher pay. We
had raised, in 4 years, teacher pay by 36%...in just four years. That's
what happened."

— James B. Hunt, Jr., NC Governor 1976 - 1984 & 1992 - 2000

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.

[31]DONATE HERE

[32]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

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