North Carolina HB 1178: Brake for Our Future Act of 2020.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1178

Short Title: The NC Teacher Pay Competitiveness Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Rubin, Prather, R. Pierce, and F. Jackson (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
May 4, 2026
*H1178-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO INCREASE TEACHER COMPENSATION AND ESTABLISH A PHASED 2
FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUED COMPENSATION INCREASES FOR TEACHERS 3
OVER TIME IN ORDER TO COMPETE WITH PEER STATES IN THE 4
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND TO REVISE ELIGIBILITY 5
REQUIREMENTS AND REDUCE FUNDS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP 6
PROGRAM. 7
Whereas, the North Carolina General Assembly has demonstrated a dangerous 8
inability to enact a comprehensive biennial State budget prior to the start of the fiscal year; and 9
Whereas, operating under the budget continuation statute due to legislative gridlock 10
leaves critical investments in our public workforce frozen, including stagnant and unfunded 11
salaries for public school educators; and 12
Whereas, in contrast, funding for private school vouchers through the Opportunity 13
Scholarship program has been statutorily codified to expand automatically, fully insulating 14
private school subsidies from the very budget impasses that freeze funding for public schools; 15
and 16
Whereas, the unchecked, automatic diversion of increasingly vast sums of public 17
taxpayer dollars to private institutions threatens the State's ability to fulfill its constitutional 18
obligation to provide every child with a sound, basic education; and 19
Whereas, average public school teacher compensation in North Carolina currently 20
lags behind every bordering state, severely undermining this State's ability to recruit and retain 21
highly qualified educators; and 22
Whereas, it is the intent of the General Assembly to demonstrate to the teachers of 23
this State that it will invest in their long-term growth in this State, as they serve the vast majority 24
of students in North Carolina; and 25
Whereas, this act will establish a phased, legally protected escalation of funding 26
designed to ensure that North Carolina, at minimum, continues to stay competitive in the 27
southeastern United States, as defined by the Department of Public Instruction, for teacher pay 28
through at least the 2032-2033 school year; Now, therefore, 29
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 30
31
PART I. PERMANENT TEACHER RAISES 32
SECTION 1.(a) Article 20 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 33
adding the following new sections to read: 34
"§ 115C-302.5A. Teacher salary schedules. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1178-First Edition
(a) The following monthly teacher salary schedule shall apply for the 2026-2027 fiscal 1
year to licensed personnel of the public schools who are classified as teachers. The salary 2
schedule is based on years of teaching experience. 3
2026-2027 Teacher Monthly Salary Schedule 4
Years of Experience "A" Teachers 5
0 $4,387 6
1 $4,467 7
2 $4,548 8
3 $4,628 9
4 $4,708 10
5 $4,788 11
6 $4,892 12
7 $4,989 13
8 $5,086 14
9 $5,183 15
10 $5,280 16
11 $5,377 17
12 $5,474 18
13 $5,570 19
14 $5,668 20
15-24 $5,765 21
25+ $5,987 22
(b) Beginning with the 2027-2028 fiscal year and ending with the 2032-2033 fiscal year, 23
the Department of Public Instruction shall raise the monthly amounts for each step of the teacher 24
salary schedule each fiscal year by three and sixty-seven hundredths percent (3.67%). 25
(c) Beginning in the 2033-2034 fiscal year and annually thereafter, the Department of 26
Public Instruction shall raise the monthly amounts for each step of the teacher salary schedule 27
for each fiscal year by the sum of one plus the 12-month percent change in the second quarter 28
Employment Cost Index for elementary and secondary school workers as reported by the Federal 29
Bureau of Labor Statistics. 30
(d) Salary Supplements for Teachers Paid on This Salary Schedule. – 31
(1) Licensed teachers who have NBPTS certification shall receive a salary 32
supplement each month of twelve percent (12%) of their monthly salary on 33
the "A" salary schedule. 34
(2) Licensed teachers who are classified as "M" teachers shall receive a salary 35
supplement each month of ten percent (10%) of their monthly salary on the 36
"A" salary schedule. 37
(3) Licensed teachers with licensure based on academic preparation at the 38
six-year degree level shall receive a salary supplement of one hundred 39
twenty-six dollars ($126.00) per month in addition to the supplement provided 40
to them as "M" teachers. 41
(4) Licensed teachers with licensure based on academic preparation at the 42
doctoral degree level shall receive a salary supplement of two hundred 43
fifty-three dollars ($253.00) per month in addition to the supplement provided 44
to them as "M" teachers. 45
(5) Cert