Pay Teachers What They're Worth Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 850

Short Title: Pay Teachers What They're Worth Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Bradley (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
April 29, 2026
*S850-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO INCREASE EDUCATOR SALARIES, TO REINSTATE EDUCATION-BASED 2
SALARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR EDUCATORS, TO ESTABLISH THE PAID STUDENT 3
TEACHING GRANT PROGR AM, AND TO REQUIRE T HE NORTH CAROLINA 4
COLLABORATORY TO STUDY IMPROVING EDUCATOR COMPENSATION. 5
Whereas, North Carolina continues to experience teacher shortages in multiple 6
subject areas and geographic regions; and 7
Whereas, student teaching is a full-time professional requirement that often prevents 8
teacher candidates from maintaining outside employment; and 9
Whereas, financial barriers during clinical preparation discourage many prospective 10
educators from entering the profession; and 11
Whereas, competitive salaries and stronger teacher preparation pipelines are essential 12
to ensuring that North Carolina students have access to qualified teachers; and 13
Whereas, the purpose of the following enactment is to strengthen recruitment and 14
retention of educators by improving compensation and supporting teacher candidates entering 15
the profession; Now, therefore, 16
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 17
18
PART I. RAISE SALARI ES FOR TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPOR T 19
PERSONNEL 20
SECTION 1.(a) The following monthly teacher salary schedule shall apply for the 21
2026-2027 fiscal year to licensed personnel of the public schools who are classified as teachers. 22
The salary schedule is based on years of teaching experience. 23
2026-2027 Teacher Monthly Salary Schedule 24
Years of Experience "A" Teachers 25
0 $5,000 26
1 $5,091 27
2 $5,183 28
3 $5,274 29
4 $5,366 30
5 $5,457 31
6 $5,576 32
7 $5,687 33
8 $5,796 34
9 $5,907 35
10 $6,018 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 850-First Edition
11 $6,128 1
12 $6,239 2
13 $6,349 3
14 $6,460 4
15-24 $6,571 5
25+ $6,823 6
SECTION 1.(b) Salary Supplements for Teachers Paid on This Salary Schedule. – 7
(1) Licensed teachers who have NBPTS certification shall receive a salary 8
supplement each month of twelve percent (12%) of their monthly salary on 9
the "A" salary schedule. 10
(2) Licensed teachers who are classified as "M" teachers shall receive a salary 11
supplement each month of ten percent (10 %) of their monthly salary on the 12
"A" salary schedule. 13
(3) Licensed teachers with licensure based on academic preparation at the 14
six-year degree level shall receive a salary supplement of one hundred 15
twenty-six dollars ($126.00) per month in addition to the supplement provided 16
to them as "M" teachers. 17
(4) Licensed teachers with licensure based on academic preparation at the 18
doctoral degree level shall receive a salary supplement of two hundred 19
fifty-three dollars ($253.00) per month in addition to the supplement provided 20
to them as "M" teachers. 21
(5) Certified school nurses shall receive a salary supplement each month of ten 22
percent (10%) of their monthly salary on the "A" salary schedule. 23
(6) School counselors who are licensed as counselors at the master's degree level 24
or higher shall receive a salary supplement each month of one hundred dollars 25
($100.00). 26
SECTION 1.(c) For school psychologists, school speech pathologists who are 27
licensed as speech pathologists at the master's degree level or higher, and sch ool audiologists 28
who are licensed as audiologists at the master's degree level or higher, the following shall apply: 29
(1) The first step of the salary schedule shall be equivalent to the sixth step of the 30
"A" salary schedule. 31
(2) These employees shall receive the following salary supplements each month: 32
a. Ten percent (10%) of their monthly salary, excluding the supplement 33
provided pursuant to sub-subdivision b. of this subdivision. 34
b. Three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00). 35
(3) These employees are eligible to receive salary supplements equivalent to those 36
of teachers for academic preparation at the six -year degree level or the 37
doctoral degree level. 38
(4) The twenty -sixth step of the salary schedule shall be seven and one -half 39
percent (7.5%) higher than the sal ary received by these same employees on 40
the twenty-fifth step of the salary schedule. 41
SECTION 1.(d) Beginning with the 2014 -2015 fiscal year, in lieu of providing 42
annual longevity payments to teachers paid on the teacher salary schedule, the amounts of those 43
longevity payments are included in the monthly amounts under the teacher salary schedule. 44
SECTION 1.(e) A teacher compensated in accordance with this salary schedule for 45
the 2026-2027 school year shall receive an amount equal to the greater of the following: 46
(1) The applicable amount on the salary schedule for the applicable school year. 47
(2) For teachers who were eligible for longevity for the 2013 -2014 school year, 48
the sum of the following: 49
a. The salary the teacher received in the 2013-2014 school year pursuant 50
to Section 35.11 of S.L. 2013-360. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 850-First Edition Page 3
b. The longevity that the teacher would have received under the longevity 1
system in effect for the 2013 -2014 school year provided in Section 2
35.11 of S.L. 2013-360 based on the teacher's current years of service. 3
c. The annual bonus provided in Section 9.1(e) of S.L. 2014-100. 4
(3) For teachers who were not eligible for longevity for the 2013 -2014 school 5
year, the sum of the salary and annual bonus the teacher received in the 6
2014-2015 school year pursuant to Section 9.1 of S.L. 2014-100. 7
SECTION 1.(f) As used in this section, the term "teacher" shall also include 8
instructional support personnel. 9
SECTION 1.(g) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 10
Public Instruction the sum of one b illion six hundred seventy -five million dollars 11
($1,675,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in the 2026 -2027 fiscal year to increase teacher 12
salaries in accordance with this section. 13
14
PART II. REINSTATE E DUCATION-BASED SALAR Y SUPPLEMENTS FOR 15
TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT PERSONNEL 16
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 115C-302.10 is repealed. 17
SECTION 2.(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the 2026 -2027 18
fiscal year, State Board of Education policy TCP -A-006, as it was in effect on June 30, 2013, 19
shall be used to determine (i) whether teachers and instructional support personnel are paid on 20
the "M" salary schedule and (ii) whether they receive a salary supplement for academic 21
preparation at the six-year or doctoral degree level. 22
SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 23
Public Instruction the sum of eight million dollars ($8,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in 24
the 2026 -2027 fiscal year to reinstate education -based salary supplements for teachers and 25
instructional support personnel in accordance with this section. 26
27
PART III. NORTH CAROLINA PAID STUDENT TEACHING GRANT PROGRAM 28
SECTION 3.(a) Article 17D of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 29
adding the following new section to read: 30
"§ 115C-269.33. Paid Student Teaching Grant Program. 31
(a) Program; Purpose. – The State Board of Education, in coordination with approved 32
educator preparation programs, shall establish the Paid Student Teaching Grant Program 33
(Program). The purpose of the Program is to supp ort teacher recruitment by providing financial 34
assistance to eligible student teachers during the student teaching portion of their enrollment in 35
an educator preparation program. 36
(b) Definitions. – For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: 37
(1) Eligible student teacher. – A student teacher who meets all of the following 38
requirements: 39
a. Is enrolled in an approved educator preparation program. 40
b. Is fulfilling the student teaching requirement of an educator 41
preparation program in a public school unit. 42
c. Has a demonstrated financial need according to criteria developed by 43
the Department of Public Instruction, including eligibility for the 44
federal Pell Grant. 45
d. Has not already received a grant under the Program. 46
(2) Recruitment public school unit. – A public school unit that employs a grant 47
recipient under the Program as a teacher. 48
(c) Selection. – The Department of Public Instruction , in coordination with approved 49
educator preparation programs, shall develop a process to accept applications from eligible 50
student teachers for the award grants under the Program. As part of the process, the Department 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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shall verify the status of each applicant as a student teacher in a public school unit. To the extent 1
funds provided for grants pursuant to this section are insufficient to award grants to all eligible 2
student teachers, the Department may establish a lottery process for selection of grant recipients 3
in accordance with the requirements established by this section. 4
(d) Grant. – The Department shall award grants of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) 5
per year to eligible student teachers who meet the selection requirements established by the 6
Department pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. The Department shall allocate these funds 7
to student teachers on a monthly basis during their student teaching assignment. 8
(e) Recruitment Bonus. – The Department shall allocate funds to recruit public school 9
units each year to provide a one-time recruitment bonus of two thousand five hundred dollars 10
($2,500) to grant recipients who accept employment in public school units. Notwithstanding 11
G.S. 135-1(7a), these bonuses are not compensation under Article 1 of Chapter 135 of the 12
General Statutes, Retirement Syst em for Teachers and State Employees. Bonuses shall be 13
provided to persons who meet all of the following criteria: 14
(1) Received a grant under the Program. 15
(2) Graduated from an approved educator preparation program. 16
(3) Has been employed by the recruitment public school unit for at least 30 days. 17
(4) Has not previously received a recruitment bonus under this subsection. 18
(f) Report. – No later than April 15 of each year, the Department shall report to the Joint 19
Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the impact of the Program on teacher recruitment, 20
including at least the following information: 21
(1) The number of eligible student teachers receiving grants and the public school 22
units where they are completing their student teaching assignment. 23
(2) The eligible student teachers that did not receive grants because of insufficient 24
funding. 25
(3) Placement rates in public school units of eligible student teachers receiving 26
grants versus eligible student teachers who did not receive grants. 27
(4) Any other informatio n the Department deems relevant to evaluation of the 28
effectiveness of the Program on teacher recruitment." 29
SECTION 3.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 30
Public Instruction beginning in the 2026 -2027 fiscal year the sum of ten million dollars 31
($10,000,000) in recurring funds to provide student teaching grants and recruitment bonuses for 32
teachers in accordance with the Paid Student Teaching Grant Program established under 33
G.S. 115C-269.33, as enacted by subsection (a) of this section. 34
35
PART IV. NORTH CAROL INA COLLABORATORY TO STUDY EDUCATOR 36
COMPENSATION 37
SECTION 4. No later than March 15, 2027, the North Carolina Collaboratory, in 38
consultation with the Department of Public Instruction, the Fiscal Research Division, and any 39
other relevant stakeholders, shall study and report on strategies to meaningfully increase educator 40
compensation in North Carolina over the next 10 years. The study shall evaluate policy options 41
for strengthening the educator workforce in North Carolina through competitive and sustainable 42
compensation structures and report on at least the following information: 43
(1) The competitiveness of educator salary schedules in North Carolina in 44
comparison to regional and national educator salary schedules. 45
(2) Strategies for long-term growth of educator salaries under the teacher salary 46
schedule. 47
(3) Compensation models recognizing career advancement, mentorship, and 48
instructional leadership. 49
(4) Incentives for high-need subject areas and high-need schools. 50
(5) Compensation strategies that improve educator retention. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 850-First Edition Page 5
(6) Sustainable funding approaches for strengthening educator compensation. 1
(7) Best practices from other states that have successfully and meaningfully 2
increased educator pay. 3
4
PART V. EFFECTIVE DATE 5
SECTION 5. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026. 6