|
Friday, March 6, 2026
Highlights
The Carolina Journal - Theresa Opeka | March 4, 2026
State leaders continue to lament the lack of a state budget in North Carolina, saying that unless something is done very soon, some departments and agencies may be facing a crisis. The General Assembly has operated without a full biennial budget since July 1, 2025, relying instead on mini-budgets and a 2016 state law that allows most existing budget spending levels to continue indefinitely. In June, the Senate passed a $5.4 billion stopgap funding measure that the House declined to take up in its entirety, opting instead for separate spending packages. Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, who has been at odds with the General Assembly for not passing a budget, told Carolina Journal exclusively after the Council of State meeting that he plans to make an announcement on the situation next week.
Gov. Stein to Announce New Critical Needs Budget Requests
Office of Governor Josh Stein | March 6, 2026
Governor Josh Stein will hold a press conference next week to announce his critical needs budget and discuss the most pressing needs facing North Carolina.
-
Monday, March 9 at 10:30 AM
- Albemarle Building, Room 140, 325 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603
-
A live stream will be available on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Public School Forum of North Carolina | 2026 Report
For more than 30 years, the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Local School Finance Study has highlighted variations and trends in local spending for public education across our state’s 100 counties. The purpose of this annual study is to isolate local spending from state and federal spending to examine the capacity and actual effort of counties to support public schools. The Local School Finance Study focuses not only on the amount that counties spend on schools, but also on each county’s investment in relation to their taxable resources. Note: the data presented in the most recent study are from the 2023-24 school year.
|
EdNC - Staff | March 2, 2026
The national shortage of special education teachers and inequities affecting students with disabilities could worsen due to the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, according to the Education Law Center (ELC).
During a Feb. 25 webinar, education researchers, advocates, and former federal officials discussed what the reduced federal oversight of special education could mean for students with disabilities.
According to research presented by ELC, special education faces nearly twice the number of vacancies compared to other subject areas, and more than 70% of schools struggle to fill positions with fully certified teachers. Some states have responded to shortages by lowering certification requirements for teachers.
 Distinguished Schools Recognition - West Buncombe Elementary - Dr. Rob Jackson, Superintendent Buncombe County Schools, Principal Brad Johnson, Assistant Principal Lori McCourry, EC Teacher Mike Martin, 2nd Grade Teacher Brittany Hensley, Title I Teacher Lisa Rhodarmer
March State Board of Education Meeting
-
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 10 a.m.
-
Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 9 a.m.
Government and Community Affairs
NCDPI Press Release | March 4, 2026: The latest data on employment trends for North Carolina public school educators, presented to the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE), show strong principal retention and teacher attrition increased less than a quarter of a percentage point for 2024-25 over the previous year. The report, formally referred to as the State of the Teaching Profession and School Administrator Report, is mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) and measures teacher attrition and vacancies between March 2024 and March 2025 for North Carolina’s 115 public school districts.
Access all YouTube recordings of SBE meetings here.
|
Open March 2- 31, 2026
Your Voice Matters.
Teaching conditions in schools are important. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina State Board of Education have made a sustained commitment to listening to educators and reforming schools to create the working conditions necessary for student and teacher success. This biennial survey collects the anonymous voices of educators across North Carolina to determine strengths and improvement opportunities in schools and districts.
Message From Superintendent Mo Green on the Teacher Working Conditions Survey
Need More Help? Please email NCTWC@dpi.nc.gov if you have any NC TWC questions for NCDPI. Individual educators should reach out to their NC TWC Coordinator if they need a survey code or have questions about participation. TWC Coordinators can reach out to the Survey Support team to update educator counts, if they have questions, or need additional assistance.
EdNC - Sergio Osnaya-Prieto | March 2, 2026
Data from the anonymous survey informs improvements across the state’s education system, the survey website says. Policymakers have previously used the results in improvement plans, evaluations, and state plans for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and Title I and Title IIA programs.
The survey’s 100 questions cover issues such as school leadership, student conduct management, safety, school facilities and resources, community support, professional development, nondiscrimination, among others. It takes about 20 minutes to complete, DPI’s website says.
|
Feb. 2-6 is National School Counseling Week. This post was written by Tuere Dunton-Forbes, a seasoned school counseling professional with two decades of experience in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). She currently serves as one of the district’s three School Counseling Program Managers, championing middle school wellness, interdisciplinary collaboration and staff well-being. As a member of the School Health Advisory Council, Dunton-Forbes brings strategic insight and heartfelt advocacy to initiatives that support the whole child — and the whole educator.
Strong student support begins with creating intentional spaces for school counselors, social workers, psychologists and mental health professionals. This isn’t a luxury — it’s essential. When structured student service teams, inclusive of an administrator, consistently meet to discuss achievement, social-emotional and career development programming, schools deliver comprehensive plans that boost student success. READ MORE
|
K-12 Education Bills
Bills To Watch
The following bills have been placed on the House Calendar for Monday, March 9, 2026.
-
HB 87 Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).
-
HB 171 Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI.
-
SB 50 Freedom to Carry NC.
-
SB 153 North Carolina Border Protection Act.
-
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, 108 bills have become law so far.
- Of these 108 new laws, NCGA staff have noted 42 laws relate to education in some way.
|
March 2026 Primary Election Results
2026 NCGA Candidate Information
Use the dropdown filters on the left to select and display election results.
|
|
|
North Carolina General Assembly
The NCGA is currently scheduled to reconvene on the following remaining dates pursuant to SJR 776: Adjournment Resolution Changes. Legislative action on these dates, if any, is still to be determined:
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
2025 Enacted "Mini Budgets"
2023 State Budget
Other State Budget Resources
K-12 Education Legislation Resources
Enacted Hurricane Helene Recovery Legislation
|
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.
|
|
|
Arts education is recognized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as essential for all students as part of a well-rounded education and includes four distinct disciplines: dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts.
Read the entire Proclamation here.
Arts in Our Schools Month - Student Performances
Please join the NCDPI Office of Teaching and Learning Arts Education Team to celebrate the excellence in public education and recognizing the importance of arts programming in our K-12 schools as we showcase the artistic talents of these North Carolina Students. Join us for in-person performances throughout downtown Raleigh and live-streamed performances and virtual visual arts galleries in celebration of Arts in Our Schools Month this March. All viewings are from 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and are free to attend or watch on YouTube.
Durham School of the Arts Jazz Artistry Combo, Durham Public Schools
- Tuesday, March 10
- Location: SECU Daily Planet Theatre
East Burke Middle School & North Carolina School for the Deaf, Burke County Schools and North Carolina Schools
Scotland County Elementary Honors Chorus, Scotland County Schools
- Thursday, March 12
- Location: NCDPI Room 150
North Carolina General Assembly
House and Senate Page Program
The House and Senate Page programs offers current high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors the opportunity to learn about, and participate in, the legislative process of our state. It is a four-day long experience that allows high school students to observe firsthand how our laws are made.
In Other News
K-12 Dive - Kara Arundel | February 27, 2026
Lawmakers expressed bipartisan interest in a larger federal role in support for AI professional development during a recent subcommittee hearing. Teachers need professional development on artificial intelligence tools if they want to safely and effectively use the technology in their classrooms, legislators and witnesses agreed in a House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
During the hearing, Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., asked Teach for America CEO Aneesh Sohoni what teachers need most from their principals and superintendents. Sohoni responded that he’s heard from teachers who are worried they’re not getting enough professional development support to effectively work with the AI tools their students are already using.
U.S. Department of Education Press Release | February 26, 2026
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon received a report from U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern with suggestions on how to reform the Institute for Education Sciences (IES). The report entitled Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) outlines her recommendations to ensure IES provides state and local policymakers, educators, and relevant stakeholders with high-quality, actionable research and data.
From the Conclusion of the Report: IES can help states and districts build the analytic capacity and tools they need to make effective educational decisions. It can also strengthen its shepherding and support of the Nation’s Report Card, which affords states the thermometer by which to gauge and calibrate
their own successes and challenges. It is neither partisan nor ideological to say that decisions about children, teachers, and schools must be grounded in rigorous evidence. This small statistics and research shop remains committed to that mission, even as it needs to undergo significant reforms to carry out that
mission much faster and better.
K-12 Dive - Kara Arundel | March 3, 2026 - Interview with USDOE Secretary Linda McMahon
One year into the job, the education secretary is setting her sights on improving literacy and expanding school choice. A year ago, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon came into office, determined to put herself out of a job by leading the closure of the department she had just been sworn in to lead. And twelve months later, the elimination of the U.S. Education Department remains her goal, McMahon told K-12 Dive Monday afternoon.
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
|
|
|
|
|
