Although state and federal funding make up most of education funding in North Carolina, county funding is becoming increasingly prevalent in recent years to fill the gaps left by cuts. However, there is a strikingly wide gap between per-pupil spending in the 10 highest-spending counties compared to the 10 lowest-spending counties.
In the 2023-2024 school year, there was a whopping difference of $3,360 per child in spending when looking at the 10 highest-spending counties compared to the 10 lowest-spending counties, according to The Public School Forum of North Carolina’s 2026 Local School Finance Study.
Since 1997, the property wealth gap has widened to nearly $2.6 million, and the difference in local spending has grown to $3,300. The seminal Leandro case was also introduced in 1997, and three of the seven low-wealth districts that Orange County surpassed significantly in local spending – Vance, Hoke, and Robeson- were the counties that sued the state in the case.
“The poorest counties in our state tax themselves at greater rates and contribute higher percentages of their local revenue to education than the richest counties in our state,” said Elizabeth Paul, a senior researcher at the Forum.
Currently, North Carolina ranks among the lowest in the country for teacher pay, and poor infrastructure contributes to it.
Democratic Governor Josh Stein and Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green recently visited various schools, such as Bluford STEM Academy and Forsyth Technical Community College, emphasizing the importance of a strong educational infrastructure to promote economic growth, academic progress, and business recruitment across the state.
Governor Stein and Superintendent Green are highlighting a $4 billion statewide school bond proposal aimed at renovating aging school buildings and modernizing facilities, as officials say that there is a $13 billion backlog in infrastructure needs.
“We have among the lowest-paid teachers in the country. We need to raise their teacher pay, and we have to continue to adopt reforms and policy ideas like the Science of Reading or advanced teaching roles to make sure that what is happening in schools is the best,” Governor Stein said.
Investing in public education is proven to have a positive impact on the macro and micro scales, from infrastructure to teacher pay. In the coming months, we must continue to hold our officials accountable for North Carolina being the only state in the country without a comprehensive budget and for going two years without a Leandro ruling.
