Stein highlights teacher raises and recruitment programs in new state budget
The recently enacted budget raises average teacher pay by 8%, increases starting pay by 17% and authorizes a new teacher-apprenticeship program.
RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein highlighted teacher-pay increases and educator-recruitment programs contained in North Carolina’s new state budget during a Tuesday visit to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Stein met with aspiring and beginning teachers at the UNCG School of Education following enactment of the state’s first complete budget in more than two years.
According to the governor’s office, the budget provides an average teacher-pay increase of 8% and raises starting teacher pay by 17%. The administration described the average increase as the largest in 20 years and the starting-pay increase as the largest in nearly 50 years.
The budget also expands the Advanced Teaching Roles program, which allows participating school systems to provide additional compensation and leadership responsibilities to experienced educators. The program is intended to give teachers opportunities to mentor colleagues while remaining in the classroom.
A separate provision establishes TeachReadyNC, authorizing public schools to create apprenticeship pathways into teaching.
Stein said the raises represent progress but argued that North Carolina must continue working to make educator compensation more competitive with other states.
“This budget delivers the largest average teacher pay raise in 20 years, but it’s still only a first step to competing with what other states are paying their educators,” Stein said.
The governor’s presentation framed the spending provisions as tools for recruiting and retaining teachers. Tuesday’s announcement did not include new legislation or spending beyond what was approved in the budget.
Because the information came from the governor’s office, the percentage increases and historical comparisons should be evaluated against the final budget documents and state salary schedules before publication. The release did not provide a district-by-district estimate or specify how the average increase would affect teachers at individual experience levels.
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
