NC H420

North Carolina House Bill 420 - Sound Basic Education for Every Child

• Appropriates $872.6 million in recurring funds for FY 2025-2026 to implement a new teacher salary schedule starting at $4,600/month for beginning teachers and reaching $6,370/month for teachers with 29+ years of experience

• Expands the NC Teaching Fellows Program with $29.9 million in FY 2025-2026 and $37 million in FY 2026-2027, removing restrictions that limited forgivable loans to STEM and special education licensure areas

• Increases funding for children with disabilities by $351.9 million in FY 2025-2026 and $450.3 million in FY 2026-2027, shifting from a capped per-pupil allocation to funding based on reported cost of services provided

• Proposes $2 billion in general obligation bonds for public school capital projects, subject to voter approval in the 2028 presidential primary election, to fund construction, renovation, technology infrastructure, and equipment

• Expands NC Pre-K program with $258.3 million in FY 2025-2026 and $333.4 million in FY 2026-2027 to serve 75% of eligible 4-year-olds in each county by FY 2027-2028, including extending the program year from 10 to 12 months