The State Board of Education convened virtually this week for its monthly meeting, discussing the new state budget, which was passed by the General Assembly last week and signed into law by Gov. John Stein on Tuesday.
The Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) Senior Director of Government Affairs and Strategy Geoff Coltrane led the presentation on legislative updates of interest to the Board, including the budget and other bills that were passed by the General Assembly since the Board last met.
Starting with the state budget, Coltrane detailed the Board’s legislative priorities and how those asks were met in the budget. Specifically, he compared how the “budget aligned with the priorities that the State Board and DPI put forward.”
First, he highlighted the increase in teacher pay that the budget enacted, which were in line with the requests made by DPI and the Board. As EdNC has reported, the budget featured an 8% average increase in teacher pay — with higher pay raises going to beginning teachers, bringing starting teacher salary to $48,000. Principals, central office staff, and noncertified staff also received a 3% pay raise.
“This is a place where I think there was real positive movement in this budget,” said Coltrane. “I think the governor, when he signed it, described the budget as progress but still work to do. And I think, in terms of some of our line item requests, that definitely reflects that.”
Read more of EdNC’s coverage of the new state budget
Most staff received one-time bonuses, too, including a one-time bonus of $1,750 for locally and federally funded school nutrition and custodial personnel. Teachers with over 15 years experience will receive a $1,000 one-time bonus, while less experienced teachers will get a $500 one-time bonus. Other school employees will also receive a one-time bonus — $1,750 for employees making under $65,000 annually, or $1,000 for those making more. DPI said those bonuses will be paid in October.
The budget also included funding for literacy and math instruction, which was part of DPI and the Board’s request, including the expansion of literacy assessments to fourth and fifth graders. On Thursday, the Board extended their contract with Amplify for “the formative and diagnostic reading assessments for grades K-3… assessment materials, professional development, and professional services,” along with licenses and other materials for fourth and fifth graders, according to Board documents.
Coltrane also discussed principal pay in the budget. While the budget did not include requested reforms to principal pay, in the original budget bill, changes to principal pay would have significantly reduced principal’s monthly compensation by paying out part of principal salary in two bonuses during the year. Many principals raised concern with that change and asked the legislature to reconsider. The legislature passed House Bill 56, a technical corrections bill, which among other items, delays the pay change until January 2027.
“The bill did make a change so that principals from July to January will be paid that supplement on a monthly basis, and then, beginning, in January it would move to a twice a year,” said Coltrane on the technical corrections bill. “So we’ll continue to keep an eye on that.”
Coltrane said he anticipates at least one more technical corrections bill for the budget being passed by the General Assembly, which adjourned last week until July 27.
Some of the priorities identified by the Board and DPI were not included in the budget. Coltrane highlighted that the budget didn’t restore master’s pay, address nearly $13 billion in school construction needs, or place a moratorium on Opportunity Scholarship program.
Board leaders and Superintendent Mo Green thanked Coltrane and DPI staff for all their legislative efforts.
“Thank you to our staff for all the hard work that went into this and all the hard work that is ongoing with respect to the budget,” said Board Vice Chair Alan Duncan.
Below is the DPI presentation with more information on the Board’s ongoing priorities, legislative requests, and the legislative policy changes that impact public education in the state. You can listen to the full presentation, along with the Board’s discussion, starting at the 1:02:00 minute mark of the meeting on YouTube.
More updates on the legislature
The Board also discussed a few other legislative items outside of the state budget.
The legislature recently passed the Public Workforce Modernization Act, which, among other things, expands paid parental leave for state employees in North Carolina. Previously, state employees who gave birth received up to eight weeks of paid parental leave, and all other state employees who became parents received up to four weeks. Now, all state employees who become parents will receive up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
In June, the House also passed an override of Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 227, which aims to “eliminate ‘DEI’ in public education.” The Senate overrode the veto last year, so the bill became law on June 24, 2026, following the action in the House. Among other things, the law prohibits public schools from providing education to students on “divisive concepts” or engaging in “discriminatory practices.”
Green said on Thursday that he expected educators to have questions about how to apply this new law.
“It does specifically restrict instruction on certain concepts, but in another part of the law, it also expressly and appropriately preserves the teaching of certain concepts, including difficult history, including historical oppression of people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and religion,” said Green in Thursday’s meeting. “And so certainly, at DPI, we are grappling with the law and are likely to try to put out some guidance to public school unit leaders as we try to figure out how to be sure that this law is appropriately implemented.”
Read more about the DEI ban in public schools
The Board also briefly discussed House Bill 301, a social media age verification bill, which ultimately did not pass.
“The provisions that directly applied to public schools were actually included in (the budget) so this bill may not have any education provisions if it actually passes,” explained Coltrane. “But it’s one that we’ll continue to pay attention to.”
Those provisions for public schools concern the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools and instruction on AI literacy.
USDA fresh fruits and vegetables grant
DPI was awarded the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant for the 2026-27 school year. The grant provides a little more than $6 million to the Office of School Nutrition for 231 elementary schools to “increase students’ overall fruit and vegetable consumption.”
“The fruit and vegetables purchased through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program funds must be in addition to those served as part of the school breakfast and lunch programs,” said DPI Senior Director of School Nutrition Rachel Findley during the meeting. “So this truly is an additional snack, a fresh fruit (or) vegetable snack, provided to students. And the schools with the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students must be selected in rank order until our allotment has been exhausted.”
According to the Board’s agenda, DPI received a total of 231 grant applications for the 2026-27 school year.
“In accordance with the criteria established in Federal guidance, all applications met the requirement and there is sufficient funding available to award to each school,” the agenda says. “… The allotment per pupil will be between $50.00-75.00. The amount of Federal funds distributed will be based on each school’s actual student enrollment.”
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Board honors Dr. Prezell Robinson
Board Chair Eric Davis ended the meeting by honoring Dr. Prezell Robinson, who died on June 29.
Robinson served on the State Board of Education for 26 years as a member and vice chair, and the Board praised his commitment to strengthening public education and improving educational opportunity for students. Robinson also served as the eighth president of Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh.
“Last week, North Carolina lost an education giant, and this board lost a former member who had an extraordinary voice for educators and students with the passing of Dr. Prezell R. Robinson at the age of 105,” Davis said.
Through his tenure as president of the United Negro College Fund and chair of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, Robinson also “championed educational excellence and expanded opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the students they serve,” according to a Board resolution.
The Board unanimously passed the resolution honoring Robinson and his contributions to public education in North Carolina, expressing “lasting gratitude for (his) remarkable life and service.”
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