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 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 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).

READ MORE

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, 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 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.

READ MORE

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 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 43rd nationally in average teacher pay. An analysis by the Education Law Center ranked North Carolina 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.

READ MORE

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 (state PPE + additional EC funding).

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

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

2026 Must Be a Public Education Year!

Top 6 in 2026! PSFNC's Legislative Priorities

Join Us on wEDnesdays for Public Schools!

Legislative and SBE Updates

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

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

In Case You Missed It

Did You Know?

Mark Your Calendar!

Words to Remember

Help us support public schools!