North Carolina state budget passes

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed the state's new $34.4 billion budget into law on Tuesday, July 7, calling it a compromise that makes meaningful progress while acknowledging the state still has work to do. Stein said the budget includes several of his major priorities but noted it still leaves North Carolina lagging behind neighboring states and does not do enough to support low-income residents or veteran teachers. Stein praised the budget's investments in education, saying it delivers the largest pay raise for beginning teachers in nearly 50 years and the largest overall teacher raise in more than 15 years. He called the funding an important investment in students but said public schools have faced years of chronic underfunding and that additional investments will be needed, particularly for experienced educators. The budget directs $12.5 billion toward K-12 public education, making education the state's largest investment and accounting for more than one-third of the overall spending plan. While beginning teachers will receive the largest raises, veteran educators will see smaller increases. Stein described the budget as "a step in the right direction," adding that North Carolina still has significant catching up to do after years of underinvestment. Political science professor Dr. Chris Cooper said the final budget reflects compromise from both parties. "I think it was a bit of an olive branch to the other side," Cooper said. "This does appear to be a compromise bill." Cooper also noted that while North Carolina's teacher pay increases are significant, many other states have already approved similar raises and passed their budgets. "It's not like other states also aren't giving their teachers raises. We are the last state in the country to pass a budget," Cooper said. Some educators, however, argue that the new funding still falls short. Shanna Peele, president of the Buncombe County Association of Educators and a special education teacher, said educators appreciate the additional investment but believe it does not adequately address years of underfunding. "Our educators appreciate every dollar that comes into our schools, but the North Carolina General Assembly has been underfunding our schools for decades," Peele said. "This budget barely touches us being able to climb out of that hole." Peele said veteran teachers play a critical role in mentoring new educators and keeping schools running, but are not seeing comparable raises. State Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-District 49, echoed those concerns, saying the average teacher raise is heavily weighted toward educators early in their careers and does not do enough to retain experienced teachers. The budget also provides more than $700 million for recovery efforts following Helene in western North Carolina. Stein said it is the third Helene recovery package he has signed since taking office. According to Stein, the funding will help provide temporary housing assistance, support local governments, repair private roads and bridges and unlock additional federal recovery dollars. Cooper said the latest package demonstrates the state's continued commitment to Helene recovery, though questions remain about whether additional federal support will be needed in the months ahead. The governor said rebuilding western North Carolina will require a sustained commitment over several years, not a one-time investment. https://wlos.com/news/local/stein-sig... #northcarolina #budget #state #news _______________ Follow WLOS on social media: WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook:   / news13   WLOS ABC 13 News on X: https://x.com/WLOS_13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram:   / wlos_13   Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Cha... For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit www.wlos.com Stream our newscasts LIVE: www.wlos.com/watch Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340 -- WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954. This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at [email protected]