Raleigh, N.C. – Public education spending is rising rapidly in North Carolina under Republican leadership, according to a visual analysis released by the state’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division this week.
North Carolina Republicans increased K-12 education spending by hundreds of millions of dollars in every state budget since 2011, according to the analysis.
The state now spends billions more on K-12 public schools annually compared to 2010, the year prior to Republicans gaining majorities in the General Assembly.
Four consecutive teacher pay raises in North Carolina have raised starting teacher pay to $35,000 and average teacher pay to $50,000 under Republican leadership.
In March 2017 the state had the fastest rising teacher pay in the nation since 2014.
The 2017-2018 state budget increases funding for K-12 education by nearly $700 million over two years, raising spending on teacher salaries, principal salaries, textbooks, digital resources, and other priorities for parents and students.