RALEIGH (March 11, 2026) – News Item: Over the past two years, North Carolinians have spent $13 billion betting on sports.1 Yet North Carolinians can’t come up with $1.5 billion to pay our public-school teachers properly. We rank 43rd among the states in average teacher pay, 39th in starting teacher pay,2 and 50th – 50th, as… READ MORE
Pitt nonprofit creates future leaders
By Amy Cockerham Public Ed Works WINTERVILLE (March 11, 2026) – Public school leaders are coming together outside the classroom to improve the lives of Pitt County children and their families. IMPACT Leadership & Educational Center was founded in 2023, for third- through eighth-grade students. (IMPACT stands for Integrity -Merit – Perseverance – Accountability –… READ MORE
Ed Samulski: What would Horace Williams want?
CHAPEL HILL (March 11, 2026) – The proposed relocation of the Dean Dome to “Carolina North” seems to have hijacked the conversation into areas unrelated to the mission of a university. The outcry has drowned out another option the administration presented for the use of that land: An academic anchor in applied sciences. Carolina North… READ MORE
NC is losing too many teachers!
By Public Schools First NC RALEIGH (March 7, 2026) – On March 4, NCDPI presented to the State Board of Education findings from the annual State of the Teaching and School Administration Professions in North Carolina. Data show that teachers are leaving the classroom at a rate of 10.11% (up slightly from last year’s 9.88%),… READ MORE
Holding officials accountable
RALEIGH (March 6, 2026) – We saw some refreshing examples this week of North Carolina voters holding their elected officials accountable. In the premier primary election in the state, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page led state Senate leader Phil Berger by exactly two votes – 13,077 to 13,075 – in a high-dollar challenge for Berger’s… READ MORE
Nonprofit steps in as public schools struggle
By Amy Cockerham Public Ed Works WILMINGTON (March 6, 2026) – One eastern North Carolina nonprofit is trying to make a difference in public schools as they deal with underfunding and understaffing. Kendall Englehart is the Communications Manager for Communities in Schools (CIS) Cape Fear. “The mission of CIS is to support kids,” Englehart said…. READ MORE
Leandro: NC’s children deserve a decision
RALEIGH (February 26, 2026) – More than two years ago, the North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest chapter of Leandro v. State, the landmark case affirming that every child in this state has a constitutional right to a sound, basic education. Since then – silence. No ruling. No explanation. No clarity for… READ MORE
Former Iredell teacher urges legislators to invest in kids
By Amy Cockerham Public Ed Works STATESVILLE (February 26, 2026) – Former Iredell County teacher Jennifer Hodges sounds the alarm on growing classroom challenges across North Carolina. “Legislators need to give schools more money, basically,” Hodges said. “That’s it.” Hodges was a teacher for 25 years and retired in August 2024. She taught mostly… READ MORE
General Assembly owes UNC System $158M
RALEIGH (February 26, 2026) – At a time when many universities across the country are shrinking, the University of North Carolina System is growing – it saw enrollment increase by 1.6% in 2024 and 3.7% last fall, to 256,530 students.1 Yet North Carolina’s General Assembly isn’t doing its part to support those students, to the… READ MORE
Roy Williams: ‘Let’s pay our teachers’
CHAPEL HILL (February 18, 2026) – Other than his mother, Coach Roy Williams says his biggest heroes are his teachers.1 “I’m very proud of North Carolina and want our state to be the best it can be,” Williams says in the accompanying video. “We need to aim higher. And I’m not talking about basketball. We… READ MORE