Current Petitions
Let Legislators Know Your Priorities!
There is still time to let legislators know your funding priorities for our public schools! The NC House passed their version of the new biennial budget on May 22, 2025. The NC Senate failed to approve the House’s version of the budget on June 3, 2025 so they appointed a budget conference committee to create a compromise budget that both of the legislative chambers could approve. The 2025-26 budget conference committee is composed of legislators appointed by the leaders of the House and Senate.
While the legislators are debating what to fund in the budget, this is a great time to let them know your priorities for the education budget. Currently there are significant differences between the Senate and the House on how to pay teachers and fund public schools.
Your voice, as a constituent, holds weight and helps inform their policy choices.
By engaging with the conference committee members, you have the opportunity to highlight the importance of specific budget allocations and advocate for priorities that are important to you or your organization.
Below are a few sample emails you can copy and edit to make your own.
Sample 1- Paying Our Teachers Better
Dear Legislators,
Please make a significant and sustained investment in teacher salaries — starting with restoring North Carolina to at least the national average, and creating a competitive pipeline for early-career educators. We all know that a qualified teacher is the number one in-school factor for student success.
NC ranks below the national average in teacher pay and per-pupil funding and teachers in our state have seen declining real wages when adjusted for inflation over the past decade. Neighboring states are offering better pay and teachers are leaving.
North Carolina is falling behind, we are not attracting new college students to education and we are struggling to keep our experienced educators. Improving teacher pay must be our top funding priority. Without competitive compensation, we cannot recruit or retain the professionals our students need to be successful in college or career after high school.
A qualified, experienced teacher is the strongest in-school predictor of student achievement. Please invest our tax dollars into making our children ready to fully participate in our economy after high school – this starts with paying our teachers a competitive salary!
Sample 2 – Pay Our Teachers, Help Our Children Get A Great Start
Dear Conference Committee Member:
I’m writing to urge you to read and consider a significant increase in teacher pay and full, equitable funding for K–12 public education in North Carolina. I am asking you to fully fund NC Pre-K by providing universal pre-k and school meals as no cost to all. We know these actions would make a difference every day in the classroom.
This issue is deeply personal to me. I am a (grandparent, retired educator, child advocate, business owner etc.) I want every child to have what I had, a great public school education. I want every child to leave high school prepared for college, career, or the military.
Our state’s low pay is driving experienced educators away — to other states or to other careers outside of the profession. We cannot afford this loss any longer. Now is the time to pay our teachers, prepare young children for kindergarten, feed our students so they can focus on learning, and put NC on the map again for being a great state to educate your child!
The decision you are making will impact this and future generations. Please act to raise teacher pay across all levels of experience and fully fund our public schools.
Sincerely,
SAMPLE 3: Increase Teacher Pay and Support Staff
As a parent of public school children, I’m writing to urge you to ensure that the final 2025-2027 state budget includes a substantial increase in teacher pay and provides the support staff (school social workers, school psychologist, and school nurses) they need to help students succeed academically. Every K-3rd grade class needs a dedicated teacher assistant as well.
It is past time for NC to have a universal pre-K program to help our children start elementary school on par with those who currently can afford pre-k. It is past time for NC to provide school meals for all students at no cost. This is simply common sense, children who are hungry struggle to focus in school. Take the shame of hunger away by making our lunch program free to all families.
The House budget proposal has a much better starting point and I encourage the Senate to help create a budget that is fair to our educators and children.
Public schools are charged with serving every child, regardless of ability, race, background, or ZIP code. When we underfund them, we undermine our future.
Please help ensure the final budget reflects how North Carolinians value their public schools. They truly are the heart of our communities.
Sincerely,
Copy one of the sample messages above to include in the petition linked below.