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The march: What don’t legislators get?

May 5, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

RALEIGH (May 1, 2026) – Thousands of North Carolina teachers made a lot of noise in Raleigh on Friday. The question is whether they made a difference. Teachers came from Halifax County, from Buncombe, from Mecklenburg, Forsyth, Guilford, Chatham and Johnston, asking for better pay – and even more, respect from the legislature in a… READ MORE

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

Vouchers up, local public schools down

May 5, 2026 by Higher Ed Works Leave a Comment

GREENSBORO (May 5, 2026) – North Carolinians – and especially Guilford County residents – connect these dots: News Item, May 1: State vouchers send $31 million to private schools in Guilford County. News Item, April 15: Guilford Schools ask for $25 million budget increase to pay teachers more, enhance security. DO YOU SEE what’s happening… READ MORE

Filed Under: 2026, Budget, Governance, Leadership, PreK - 12 Education, Vouchers

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

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