(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s school superintendent is praising Gov. Josh Stein’s budget proposal for public schools, saying it will “create brighter futures” for the state’s 1.5 million students.
The governor’s proposal calls for an extra $876 million in spending for the 2025-26 fiscal year and $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2026-27.
Stein is asking the Legislature to provide 10.6% raises for teachers over the next two years and restores extra pay for teachers who have advanced degrees in the subjects they are teaching.
“It demonstrates a deep commitment to valuing educators and addressing our critical teacher shortage, directly aligning with my priority to reverse the teaching profession across North Carolina,” Superintendent Mo Green said in a statement.
The governor’s budget proposal also calls for free school breakfasts for all students, more school nurses, counselors and psychologists and $4 billion for school construction. It includes funding for laptop computers for students and expands literacy support through the eighth grade.
“I urge legislative leaders to consider Gov. Stein’s proposal, and I look forward to working with all our state leaders to pass a state budget that recognizes North Carolina as the national leader we know it can be,” Green said.
Stein’s proposal for education funding is facing criticism, however, from supporters of school choice done through the state’s Opportunity Scholarships program. The governor wants to reduce funding by $738 million in fiscal year 2026 and phase out funding altogether by 2027.
Teacher pay hikes proposed by Stein over the next two years would cost the state an extra $1 billion, according to the John Locke Foundation. Free breakfasts would cost $85.3 million each year.
“This increase in funding for the public education system would come at the cost of decreased funding for students to attend the private school of their choice,” the Foundation’s Joseph Harris wrote on Friday.
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Under the Opportunity Scholarship Program, students from kindergarten through 12th grade can receive from $3,000 to $7,000 per year, based on family income, for tuition, at private schools that participate in the program.
Under the program, families of home school students can receive funding for educational expenses such as tutoring and textbooks, according to the program’s website.