Ahead of teacher rally, schools face tough budget choices
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Thousands of teachers from across North Carolina are descending on Raleigh for a "Kids Over Corporations" protest Friday.
Why it matters: School is canceled across much of the state, and the North Carolina Association of Educators is hoping the mass protest pushes lawmakers to pass raises for teachers and increase school funding.
By the numbers: North Carolina ranked 50th in the Education Law Center's 2025 ranking of public education spending.
- State spending on education dropped over 13 percentage points in the past 60 years when measured by its share of the full budget, per the state's Public School Forum.
State of play: North Carolina now allows families who pick private or charter schools to pass along to those schools the money their child's public education would have cost.
- That's leading public school enrollment to flatten out, even as the state's population grows, EdNC reports.
- Fewer students results in less money from the state, and public school districts are making difficult decisions about what to cut.
How it works: Though the state makes major decisions about pay, much of the rest of funding for schools is decided on the county level.
- In wealthier counties like the Triangle, an increasing amount of local government dollars are being spent to fill gaps in areas the state and federal government has historically covered. (For example, local teachers get thousands of dollars from the county to supplement their state salaries.)
- That leaves less money for capital expenses, like building and maintenance costs. Local governments pay 99% of those, and years of deferred maintenance now has some districts considering closing schools altogether.
Zoom in: Wake County Public Schools is asking for a $25 million increase from county commissioners, and is still contemplating around $16 million in cuts next school year, including eliminating some reading coaches and assistant principals, WRAL reports. The school board already rejected the superintendent's proposal to cut $10 million for special education.
- Durham Public Schools is asking for $28.5 million extra next school year and is considering closing several elementary schools this decade, INDY Week reports. That would put county commissioners in a position to make tough choices on raising property taxes.
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools placed three elementary schools on the chopping block this spring, citing enrollment declines.
Between the lines: Another headwind confronting budget writers is a potential ballot measure in the fall that would limit how much counties and cities can raise property taxes in a given year.
- That could have downstream effects on local school funding, some local and state officials say.
What's next: Lawmakers are negotiating the state budget for next school year, while school boards and county commissioners are working out out local school funding. The fiscal year begins July 1.
- Friday's protest is scheduled 10am-3pm on Halifax Mall.