North Carolina ranks near dead last for school funding in the country – something that Governor Josh Stein has been trying to change. At a press conference in August, Stein highlighted the important steps the new state budget takes to close that funding gap.
Notably, the budget raises average teacher pay by 8% – the largest average teacher pay raise in 20 years – and increases starting teacher pay by 17%, the largest starting teacher pay raise in nearly 50 years.
“Teachers are the single most important in-school factor in a student’s success, and they deserve to be valued accordingly,” said Stein. “For too long, North Carolina has struggled to be competitive in teacher pay and support, but this budget puts us back on track. While we still have more work to do, these raises begin to show teachers just how much we value them.”
The teacher raises move North Carolina’s ranking for overall teacher pay from 47th in the nation to 40th. Of course, there is a long way to go.
“I see this budget as a launching pad, not a landing spot,” Stein said.
In addition to the raises, the state budget also expands teacher training, apprenticeship, and professional development opportunities, as well as strengthens reading and math programs.
It also increases funding for a proven program to attract highly effective principals to low-performing schools. LaTresha Wilson, the state’s 2026 Southwest Region Principal of the Year, lauded the program at Stein’s press conference. Wilson helped bring Charlotte’s Tuckaseegee Elementary School’s performance grade from a D to a B in two years.
“We aren’t just funding schools. We are funding possibilities. We are funding potential. We are funding the next generation for North Carolinians,” Wilson said. “When we invest where the need is greater, we don’t just change schools. We change trajectories.”
