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46th in teacher pay: NC stands still. Other states surge ahead.

April 29, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

RALEIGH (April 29, 2026) – What a predictable embarrassment. As the only state in the country that didn’t adopt a new budget for 2025-26, North Carolina didn’t do squat for its public-school teachers last year. Other states did for their teachers. So it’s no surprise that North Carolina – the state that likes to boast… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, PreK - 12 Education, teachers, Underfunded

Stein: Schools ‘one area where we cannot afford to fall behind’

April 29, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

RALEIGH (April 29, 2026) – As legislators returned to Raleigh last week, Gov. Josh Stein made his own proposal for a 2026-27 state budget that they would be wise to heed: Long-overdue raises for K-12 teachers, affordable child care and free community college in high-demand fields. Stein’s proposed budget would give  the state’s teachers –… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, Governance, K-12 Teacher Pay, Leadership

Roberts: Running a university without a state budget

April 29, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

  CHAPEL HILL (April 29, 2026) – How do you run a massive research university when the state legislature, amid persistent inflation, hasn’t adopted a new budget in three years? “It’s a challenge for Carolina and all the other schools in the (UNC) System to operate without a (new) state budget,” UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, Governance, UNC Chapel Hill, Underfunded

Onslow Odyssey: No budget means students can’t afford to compete

April 29, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

By James Strope Principal, Onslow Early College High School EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, an eastern North Carolina principal shares one unique struggle students face after legislators failed to pass a budget on time. JACKSONVILLE (April 29, 2026) – Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that has been around since 1978. The students select… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Access & Affordability, Budget, Carolina's Classrooms, PreK - 12 Education, Underfunded

Legislators: Do your job

April 23, 2026 by Higher Ed Works 1 Comment

RALEIGH (April 23, 2026) – State legislators returned to Raleigh for their so-called “short” session this week with some very basic jobs to finish. Here’s what they need to do: Adopt a budget. This is one of the most fundamental tasks legislators are elected to do. Yet thanks to the state Senate’s stubbornness over planned… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, Governance, K-12 Teacher Pay, Leadership, NC Community Colleges, PreK - 12 Education, Vouchers

Parents urge legislators to increase teacher pay

April 23, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

By Amy Cockerham Public Ed Works (RALEIGH) –  Several nonprofits and concerned citizens gathered in front of the NC General Assembly Tuesday just hours before the start of the new session to demand lawmakers pass a budget that supports public education. Organizing groups include Red Wine & Blue, Every Child NC  and Pastors for NC… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, K-12 Teacher Pay, Leadership, PreK - 12 Education, teachers, Underfunded, Vote

Tom Oxholm: When will business leaders wake up?

April 16, 2026 by Higher Ed Works 2 Comments

By Tom Oxholm RALEIGH (April 16, 2026) – There is a crisis in North Carolina of underfunding our public schools (including Charters). Consider these facts: •NC is 50th in the country in average per pupil funding from state and local sources (Education Law Center’s December 2025 report). •Our ~100,000 teachers have the lowest starting pay… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, PreK - 12 Education, Teacher Preparation, teachers, Underfunded

Still $159M short

April 16, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

MORGANTON (April 16, 2026) – At a time when enrollment is shrinking at colleges across the country due to demographic trends, the UNC System has an extraordinary story to tell – it’s growing. Yet North Carolina’s state legislature – particularly the state Senate – hasn’t recognized that growth. The state’s public universities increased enrollment by… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, UNC Board of Governors, UNC System, Underfunded

Seismic

April 9, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

RALEIGH (April 9, 2026) – There’s been an upheaval in leadership of North Carolina’s General Assembly with the defeat of longtime Senate leader Phil Berger in a primary that spanned Rockingham and part of Guilford County.1 It’s difficult to overstate the influence Berger has had during 15 years as Senate President Pro Tem, deciding budget… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Access & Affordability, Budget, Governance, K-12 Teacher Pay, Leadership, PreK - 12 Education, teachers, Vouchers

Storm clouds

March 26, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

RALEIGH (March 26, 2026) – Stronger-than-expected growth means North Carolina will end 2025-26 with a $370 million (1.1%) surplus, according to a consensus forecast released this week by the governor’s budget office and the legislature’s Fiscal Research Division. But the state could still face a $360 million (1%) decrease in revenue in 2026-27 due to… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, Economic Impact, Governance, Leadership

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