State budget passes, teacher raises in the pipeline

North Carolina has a new budget, signed, sealed, and delivered by the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Stein, finally giving teachers across the state, including Burke, their first raise in nearly three years — albeit a year past the state government’s deadline.

Raises will start hitting paychecks next school year and average roughly 8% overall, although beginning teachers receive larger increases than veterans.

Beginning teachers will now enter the field at $48,000 compared to the previous $41,000 — approximately a 17% increase. Teachers with 15 years of experience or more are looking at raises in the 5-6% range.

Veteran teachers still face a salary plateau between years 15 and 24, with those at year 25 earning only about $220 more per month than those at year 15.

While the raises don’t exactly quell advocates — North Carolina Association of Educators President Christina Cole said the budget “tries to buy our silence while trading away our future” — Stein believed the state is heading in the right direction, although it’s not quite as quickly as he’d hoped.

“Beginning teachers are choosing to forego other more lucrative careers, and if they stay in North Carolina, they’re missing out on better salaries that they could earn in our neighboring states,” Stein said at the public signing of the budget. “But today we are beginning to right that wrong.”

On top of the pay raises, teachers can expect a one-time bonus “no later than October 31, 2026,” from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Teachers with up to 15 years of experience will receive $500, and those with 16 years or more under their belt will receive $1,000.

LITERACY PILOT

Aside from raises, Burke County Public Schools is one of six districts chosen to participate in the Just Right Reader Pilot Program being implemented in first grade classrooms.

The budget directs the DPI to allocate $500,000 in nonrecurring funds across low-performing schools in Burke, Gaston, Johnston, New Hanover, Randolph, and Union counties, providing literacy packets from Just Right Reader, Inc.

The Office of Learning Research at UNC-Chapel Hill will evaluate the outcome of the programs, comparing first-graders in the program with students outside the pilot, and report the evaluation to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by Oct. 15, 2027.

SCHOOLS IN BURKE

“Our administrative team is examining the budget’s impact on staffing, compensation, instructional programs, and district operations,” said Cheryl Shuffler, Burke County Public Schools’ public relations officer. “Once our review is complete and additional guidance is available, we will have a clearer picture of what these changes mean for our students, employees, and schools.”

After closing the 2025-26 budget deficit, Finance Officer Keith Lawson said that although the district is uncertain of what exactly the 2026-27 school year’s deficit will look like, he “anticipate(d) the budget will increase to cover the anticipated, substantial, teacher wage increases.”

However, officials said it was too soon after the budget’s passage to say for certain what the future looks like. They’re waiting on guidance from DPI, the State Board of Education, and other school districts in the region.

“Our priority is to better understand the budget before drawing conclusions about its impacts,” Superintendent Mike Swan said. “We are committed to reviewing it carefully so we can make informed decisions that best support our students, staff and community.”