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Highlights
Office of Speaker Destin Hall Press Release | October 16, 2025: Today, the chairs of the House and Senate redistricting committees released a proposal for new congressional districts in North Carolina. The proposal is available online at the General Assembly’s website.
Members of the public are invited to provide comments on the proposed map through a portal on the General Assembly’s website.
Both the House and Senate anticipate considering the proposed map next week.
WFAE 90.7 - WUNC | October 16, 2025: A key North Carolina senator says it is unlikely that the General Assembly will make progress on a new state budget or Medicaid funding next week. Sen. Ralph Hise is a Republican from Mitchell County and a Senate budget writer. The General Assembly returns on Monday.
AP | October 9, 2025: Members of a Robeson County Republican Party committee voted unanimously to recommend John Lowery to fill the state House seat held since 2023 by Jarrod Lowery, who resigned effective this week to take a job in Washington with the U.S. Interior Department. John Lowery has been chairman of the 55,000-member Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina since early 2022. He's previously worked as a public school civics teacher and for the U.S. Agriculture Department and state Commerce Department. His jobs have included efforts to expand federal programs for Native American farmers and rural communities and build workforce development in the region.
EdNC - Ben Humphries | October 15, 2025: After a round table lunch at Oak Grove Elementary School in Cary on Monday, a group of advocates called for a total of $4.4 million in state funding to support the N.C. Farm to School Program and SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT. At a press conference in the library of Oak Grove, Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, said $2.5 million of the request is for the N.C. Farm to School Program to partly replace lost funding due to federal cuts. The other $1.9 million would satisfy North Carolina’s requirement to continue operating SUN Bucks, which provides $120 in grocery benefits per eligible child during the summer.
K-12 Dive - Anna Merod | October 15, 2025: On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop the mass firing of federal employees during the government shutdown. K-12 Dive has compiled a timeline of events leading up to the U.S. Department of Education's latest round of RIFs and the continued downsizing of the federal education footprint. See article to view the timeline.
K-12 Dive - Kara Arundel | October 12, 2025: During this tumultuous year at the U.S. Department of Education that saw about half of the 4,133 employees leave due to layoffs, buyouts and early retirements, the staff at the Office of Special Education Programs stayed mostly stable. On October 10, the Trump administration issued reduction-in-force notices across the federal government, including at the Education Department. Court filings show that 466 employees at the Education Department were impacted and several special education association leaders say most of the OSEP staff was laid off. McMahon said in the memo that school systems could still draw down federal grants awarded over the summer and processing would continue for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Title I and IDEA grants would be distributed as well. This summer, about a dozen former federal senior special education officials wrote to Congress urging that lawmakers reject transferring oversight of special education services out of the Education Department. The former officials and others said keeping special education within the Education Department is essential for properly implementing IDEA regulations.
NC Department of Commerce Press Release | October 6, 2025: You can apply for state unemployment benefits online at des.nc.gov. You will need to create your MyNCUIBenefits account first. If you need help, call the dedicated Federal and Grant Worker UI Hotline at 855-435-7969 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to apply for unemployment benefits. For more information, go to: des.nc.gov/federalworkers. Unemployment benefits received will be required to be paid back if backpay is issued by employer.
November Planning & Work Session
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State Board Planning Session
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State Board Meeting
- Thursday, November 6, 2025
NC State Board of Education in the News
YouTube recordings of SBE meetings HERE.
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Strategic Plan Regional Tours
Join us for a public forum in each of the eight education regions! The evening event will include a program about the strategic plan by Superintendent Green. If you are unable to attend the events in person, there will be a virtual option in November.
Thank you to everyone who attended a Regional Tour!
✔️ Northeast - Greenville, Pitt County: Thursday, September 25 - Northeast Tour Photo Gallery
✔️ Southeast - Jacksonville, Onslow County: Friday, September 26 - Southeast Tour Photo Gallery
✔️ Piedmont-Triad - Greensboro, Guilford County: Thursday, October 16
Southwest - Charlotte, Mecklenburg County: Monday, October 20
Northwest - Morganton, Burke County: Wednesday, October 22
Western - Bryson City, Swain County: Thursday, October 23
Sandhills - Lumberton, Robeson County: Monday, October 27
North Central - Chapel Hill, Orange County: Wednesday, October 29
Virtual - Zoom: Monday, November 3, 5:30 - 6:30 pm
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- There will be greeters at the facility entrance to direct you to the location of the event.
- Please bring your ideas for how your work aligns with the Strategic Plan. There will be an interactive technology option, so bring a device such as a phone or laptop if you want to participate.
- For any accommodations (e.g., language translation, sign language interpreters, alternative formats, wheelchair access) please email mowantstoknow@dpi.nc.gov in advance of the meeting.
More information about the strategic plan is available here: go.ncdpi.gov/bestinnation.
From The Superintendent
Duke Sanford School of Public Policy - Matt LoJacono | October 16, 2025
North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green recently visited Sanford, where he met with faculty, staff, and students to share his vision for the future of public education in the state. Green, a double Duke graduate with degrees in political science, economics, and law, spoke with optimism and conviction about his five-year strategic plan, Achieving Educational Excellence, which outlines bold goals for making North Carolina’s public schools the best in the nation by 2030.
Green began by reflecting on his personal journey, including his years as an undergraduate and law student at Duke—when Terry Sanford, the school’s namesake, served as university president—and his service as president of Duke’s Black Student Alliance. He shared stories from his early legal career representing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, his leadership as superintendent of Guilford County Schools, and his time as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
He said that varied experience shaped both his deep respect for public educators and his commitment to servant leadership. “This is not Mo Green’s plan,” he told the Sanford audience. “It’s not even just the Department of Public Instruction’s plan. It is all of our plan.”
Throughout his talk, Green emphasized that his goal is not for North Carolina to make incremental improvements but to make significant leaps forward. “We can no longer be about small change,” he said. “If we’re going to turn the tide for public education, we must aim to be the very best.” His plan outlines eight “pillars” that focus on students, educators, families, and communities, including measurable actions to advance academic achievement, strengthen school operations and safety, and elevate the reputation of public education statewide.
One of the plan’s most distinctive features is its call to “revere” educators—a word Green chose intentionally. “Across this country, I believe we have lost our way in how we think about our teachers,” he said. “This is a noble profession. They are doing transformative work. Respect is good, but it isn’t enough. We must revere them.” He urged the audience to help restore public respect for teachers and school staff, noting that the strength of the state’s schools depends on those who dedicate their lives to educating children.
Read the entire article here.
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Celebrate the Good in Public Education
NC DPI Celebrate the Good Blog | October 16, 2025
College Application Week – Oct. 20-26 in North Carolina – is a chance for high school seniors to apply to dozens of colleges without having to pay an application fee. But this year, the deal is even sweeter.
Through NC College Connect, public high school seniors with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above who also meet the NC College Connect requirements (more on that below), are automatically admitted to select North Carolina colleges and universities.
Eligible students can log into their College for North Carolina (CFNC) portal at NCCollegeConnect.org to see a tailored list of colleges and universities where they have offers of admission. All they have to do is complete a short form to claim their spot!
Approximately 70,000 students are eligible for the program this year, and just over 17 percent of them have accepted offers so far. Seniors don’t have to know which college they want to enroll in now – they can claim their spots at all the institutions they are interested in and make a decision later.
NC College Connect now includes 11 UNC System schools, 29 NC Independent Colleges and Universities and all 58 NC Community Colleges.
Eligibility:
- Had a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above at the end of their junior year (and can maintain that GPA throughout their senior year).
- Meet state graduation requirements, including a fourth-level math course.
- Meet UNC System minimum requirements.
- Maintain safety eligibility.
- Some private colleges have additional course requirements, which you can learn about on the NC College Connect website.
About College Application Week
College Application Week is part of NC Countdown to College (C2C). Kicking off in October, C2C is a year-long CFNC initiative that encourages students to complete three critical steps in college enrollment: residency, financial aid and college applications. Learn more and get involved at cfnc.org
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K-12 Education Bills
Bills To Watch
The following bills affecting K-12 education are still eligible for additional legislative action this session. All of the bills have already been placed on the House Calendar for a potential veto override attempt on Monday, October 20, 2025.
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HB 87 Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).
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HB 171 Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI.
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SB 50 Freedom to Carry NC.
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SB 153 North Carolina Border Protection Act.
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SB 227 Eliminating "DEI" in Public Education.
Reminder: Bills ≠ Laws
Only a few dozen bills typically make it “across the finish line” and become law each legislative session.
- For the current 2025 legislative session, 1,800+ total bills were introduced.
- Of these, 105 bills have become law so far.
- Of these 105 new laws, NCGA staff have noted 40 laws relate to education in some way.
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North Carolina General Assembly
SJR 776: Adjournment Resolution Changes, which adjusted its legislative schedule for the remainder of the 2025 legislative session.
The NCGA is currently scheduled to reconvene on the following remaining dates, although legislative action on these dates, if any, is still to be determined:
o Oct. 20, 2025 - Oct. 23, 2025
o Nov. 17, 2025 - Nov. 20, 2025
o Dec. 15, 2025 - Dec. 18, 2025
o Jan. 12, 2026 - Jan. 15, 2026
o Feb. 9, 2026 - Feb. 12, 2026
o March 9, 2026 - March 12, 2026
o April 6, 2026 - April 9, 2026
o April 21, 2026 — Start of 2026 Short Session
State Budget Information & Resources
2025 State Budget Proposal
2023 State Budget
Other State Budget Resources
K-12 Education Legislation Resources
Enacted Hurricane Helene Recovery Legislation
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Useful Acronyms
DPI = Department of Public Instruction
GS = General Statute
HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill
JR = Joint Resolution
LB/LOB = Legislative Building/Legislative Office Building
LEA = Local Education Agency
NCGA = North Carolina General Assembly
PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute
PSU = Public School Unit
SBE = North Carolina State Board of Education
SL = Session Law
For the glossary of education acronyms/terms, click here.
For the glossary of legislative terms, click here.
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In Other News
EdNC - Chantal Brown | October 13, 2025: State leaders and educators have recently highlighted resources to support mental health amid National Bullying Prevention Month this October. Last month, Gov. Josh Stein released a statement about how online engagement can impact the mental health of students in North Carolina. The Center for Safer Schools is running a campaign this October to recognize National Bullying Prevention month. The key message of the campaign is “Kindness Changes Everything,” according to a CFSS statement.
K-12 Dive - Naaz Modan | October 9, 2025: Students, teachers and principals view limiting devices as beneficial, but parents have concerns, research shows. At least 26 states have laws or policies requiring local school boards to ban or limit cellphone use in K-12 classrooms — with 22 of those enacted in 2025, according to an August Ballotpedia analysis. More Americans are supporting cellphone restrictions than in previous years. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults rallied behind restrictions for middle and high school students, according to Pew Research Center data released this summer.
NC DNCR Press Release | October 6, 2025: The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), is pleased to announce $11 million in grant awards for fiscal year 2025–26. Three hundred and seventy-three grant awards will support nonprofit arts organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities, and artists in all 100 counties this year. The grants range from $2,000 to $347,014. Funding priorities this year include connecting K–12 students with artists in a range of disciplines, notably with the traditional arts of North Carolina.
Click here to subscribe to the weekly legislative update or other NC Department of Public Instruction topics.
To view previous K-12 Education Legislative Updates, click here.
NCDPI Office of Government Affairs: Anne Murtha – Legislative Specialist
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