Friday, April 10, 2026
Highlights
NC Newsline - Ahmed Jallow | April 7, 2026
Rep. Brian Biggs (R-Randolph), chair of the House Education Committee, said the state must offer meaningful raises, not small increases that fail to keep teachers in the profession. Speaking Tuesday at the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s “Eggs & Issues Breakfast,” Biggs called education “nonnegotiable.”
Lawmakers return to Raleigh facing divisions over spending and a projected budget gap in the coming years. Teacher pay remains one of the few areas of broad agreement, though they differ on how much to increase salaries and how to structure those raises. North Carolina ranks 43rd nationally in teacher pay. The average salary of $58,292 sits nearly $14,000 below the national average, leaving the state trailing every neighbor, including South Carolina and Tennessee.
North Carolina has not passed a full budget in more than two years, and was the only state in the country to end 2025 without one, delaying pay increases for teachers. The House proposal would increase average pay by 8.7% over two years and give starting teachers a 22% raise. The Senate plan is smaller, offering about 3.3% over the same period, supplemented by one-time bonuses.
Biggs said work on the budget is already underway. “We’re working now, getting ready for this short, long session,” Biggs said. “If we’re there December 31, that’s fine. We’re going to get it done.”
Additional News on the Upcoming Short Session:
Public School Forum of North Carolina
Image: Public School Forum of North Carolina - Top Education Issues Report
The Public School Forum’s Top Education Issues outlines the Forum’s priorities for what should be at the forefront of education policy decision-making each legislative biennium as we work toward eliminating the systemic inequities that exist throughout our educational system, ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education. The Forum’s 2025-26 Top Issues identified a set of actions that we hoped to see our policymakers take during the 2025-2026 legislative biennium. Over the past year, the Public School Forum of North Carolina's team has worked toward and tracked progress on specific metrics for each of our policy priorities.
The Public School Forum brings together individuals and institutions from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy.
Public School Forum of North Carolina
This year’s annual NC Legislators in Schools Week will be held the week of April 13-17. During the week, members of the North Carolina General Assembly will visit local public schools in the communities which they represent and engage in conversations with superintendents, educators and students.
“Legislators in Schools Week is about connection. It opens our doors so policymakers can see the real stories, challenges, and successes happening in our classrooms while students have the opportunity to meet leaders from their own communities,” said 2025 Burroughs Wellcome NC Teacher of the year Rachel Candaso, “When lawmakers sit beside students and educators, they see how public schools prepare young people for life and careers. This is an amazing opportunity to build trust between legislators and their community to ensure their decisions truly reflect the students they serve.”
This event is organized by current and former members of the North Carolina Teachers and Principals of the Year cohorts with support from the Public School Forum of North Carolina.
EdNC - Chantal Brown | April 7, 2026
April is recognized nationally as the “Month of the Military Child,” and North Carolina leaders and schools are joining in.
North Carolina public schools enroll over 100,000 military-connected students, according to the most recent data from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). High concentrations of those families live near military installations in Craven, Cumberland, Onslow, and Wayne counties. As one of the most military personnel populated states, North Carolina has several initiatives and events to make families feel more welcomed.
On April 24, 598 schools are expected to become 2025-26 Purple Star Award recipients. The tally includes 143 more schools than last year and about 46% more schools than from the inception of the awards in 2019, according to a recent presentation by DPI.
Organizations supporting NC’s military-connected students
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Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) is the governing body of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The following issues are addressed in the MIC3 compact: student eligibility, enrollment, placement, and graduation.
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Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) is a national organization for supporting school superintendents in districts with a high concentration of military-connected children.
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The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) is a global nonprofit that conducts research and resource development for military-connected children. Its mission is to ensure the quality of educational opportunities for the United States’ military-connected children. MCEC also provides resources for the Purple Star Schools program.
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The Adopt-A-School program matches military units with local elementary, middle, and high schools to provide support throughout the school year. On March 18, Onslow County Schools became the first district in the nation to have all of their schools adopted by a military unit, according to a Marine Corps press release.
Are there more resources for military-connected students EdNC should highlight? If so, please email cbrown@ednc.org.
North Carolina Supports Military Children | NC DPI
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Contains information on the President's priorities and summary tables
NOTE: This is the initial stage of the budget process. Stay tuned as the budget proceeds and is amended through Congress before going back to the president for final approval or veto.
The Budget requests $76.5 billion in discretionary budget authority for ED for 2027, a $2.3 billion or 2.9-percent decrease from the 2026 enacted level.
Investments
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Title I and Make Education Great Again (MEGA) Grants. The Budget provides $18.4 billion for the existing Title I program, which targets Federal support to disadvantaged schools, and $2 billion for a new program, MEGA grants.
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Special Education (+$539 million). The Budget provides nearly $16 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Budget proposes a $489 million increase for the IDEA State Grants program, which maintains the 2026 Budget proposal to incorporate six smaller IDEA programs.
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Education Freedom for Parents and Students. The Budget promotes even more high-quality school choice options by investing $500 million to expand the number of charter schools.
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Workforce Pell. The Working Families Tax Cut Act (WFTC) made historic changes to the Federal Pell Grant program to expand eligibility to high-quality, short-term programs that prepare students for in-demand jobs more quickly and cheaply than traditional college degrees.
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Federal Pell Grants (+$10.5 billion). The Budget provides $33 billion for Federal Pell Grants, which provide grants to low-income students to obtain a post-secondary education. This increase addresses the congressionally-created funding shortfall while maintaining the discretionary maximum award of $6,335.
Program Cuts and Eliminations
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K-12 Program Eliminations and Consolidations (–$8.5 billion). Seventeen programs, totaling $6.5 billion, are consolidated into the MEGA grants program, allowing States to fund those activities based on their needs without Federal prescription. Twelve other programs, totaling $2.1 billion, are eliminated to reduce the Federal role in education.
- Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) (–$1.5 billion)
- Higher Education Program Eliminations (–$2.7 billion)
FY 2026 education funding – CEF table for selected education programs, 2024-2026
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EdNC - Ben Humphries | April 9, 2026
North Carolina school districts are facing an uncertain budgeting season as both federal and state funding sources hang in the balance. Over the last year, school districts have seen cuts to federal education grant programs and no pay raises for teachers after the General Assembly failed to pass a comprehensive state budget.
Where does that leave districts? The answer may depend in part on district’s fund balances — which operate like savings accounts for public school districts. Below, you can find data on fund balances at the end of fiscal year 2024-25 for most school districts.
The Local Government Commission (LGC), a part of the state treasurer’s office, collects annual data on the fund balances of all 115 North Carolina school districts. In an email to EdNC from the LGC in 2020, fund balances were described as “a savings account that schools can use” if they have unanticipated expenses or opportunities.
But even healthy fund balances can act only as a partial buffer. And money spent this year, if not replenished, won’t be there next year — amid local property tax increase limit proposals, fund balances may be destined to shrink.
See school district fund balance data going back to 2013 in this spreadsheet maintained by EdNC.
May SBE Planning & Work Session on May 5-7
Activities of the NC State Board of Education
Access all YouTube recordings of SBE meetings here.
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K-12 Education Bills
Bills To Watch
The following bills have been placed on the House Calendar for Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
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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, 108 bills have become law so far.
- Of these 108 new laws, NCGA staff have noted 42 laws relate to education in some way.
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