By Keith Poston
WakeEd Partnership

RALEIGH (March18, 2026) – North Carolina is still waiting for a comprehensive state budget, and once again our public schools are feeling the impact.

Last week Governor Josh Stein, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, and House Speaker Destin Hall jointly announced the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of Public Education. Long-term planning for our schools is important. But the challenges facing teachers and students today are not complicated — and they are not new.

As we noted in the last issue, North Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay, per-pupil funding, and overall funding effort. Those rankings point to a clear underlying issue: North Carolina is simply not investing enough in its public schools.

Governor Stein has also proposed immediate investments to address urgent needs, including teacher pay. Those conversations are critical and cannot wait.

Here in Wake County, our community has stepped up. A strong local economy and leaders who prioritize public education have allowed Wake County to supplement teacher pay and invest in our schools. That commitment helps make Wake County a place where great educators want to work.

But the North Carolina Constitution places the primary responsibility for funding public education with the state — a principle at the center of the long-running Leandro case. When the state underfunds schools, the burden increasingly shifts to local communities and taxpayers.

Local support matters. But it cannot replace state responsibility.

Keith Poston is the President of the WakeEd Partnership.