I applaud Governor Stein’s transformative education budget proposal that invests in our most precious resource—our children. This proposal raises starting teacher salaries to the highest in the Southeast, provides a 10.6% average raise for existing teachers over the biennium and restores master’s pay for over 1,000 teachers whose advanced degrees are in the subjects they teach. It demonstrates a deep commitment to valuing educators and addressing our critical teacher shortage, directly aligning with my priority to revere the teaching profession across North Carolina.
This comprehensive approach recognizes that achieving educational excellence requires investing in the whole child, safe learning environments and modern infrastructure— creating brighter futures for all 1.5 million North Carolina students.
- Provides school breakfast at no cost to every public school student
- Funds more school nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists to support students’ mental and physical wellbeing
- Enhances school safety with new school resource officers and security equipment
- Increases funding for educational services for our students with disabilities
- Addresses more than $12 billion in school construction needs across the state through a $4 billion school bond
- Invests in digital learning by ensuring that every student has access to a laptop and internet connectivity support through 8th grade.
I urge legislative leaders to consider Governor Stein’s proposal and I look forward to working with all of our state’s leaders to pass a state budget that recognizes North Carolina as the national leader we know we can be.