State employees have received no pay increases as lawmakers remain deadlocked more than two months past deadline
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Association of Educators is pressing state legislators to resolve their ongoing budget dispute and pass a comprehensive state budget that has been stalled for more than two months beyond its July 1 deadline.
The delay has left state employees, including teachers and other education professionals, without promised pay increases while facing rising costs of living and higher health insurance premiums. The biennial budget was scheduled to take effect at the beginning of the fiscal year but remains unfinished due to disagreements between the state Senate and House of Representatives.
“It’s been more than two months since North Carolina should have had a new budget,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE president. “That’s two months of lawmakers neglecting educators and state employees. That’s two months of neglecting our students and the public schools that serve them.”
Kelly called on legislators to “stop delaying, stop neglecting the people of North Carolina, and do what should have been done in July: pass the state budget.”
The budget impasse has created uncertainty for public school districts and state agencies as they operate without clear funding guidance for the current fiscal year. State employees have been particularly affected, as salary adjustments and benefit changes typically included in the annual budget remain in limbo.
The NCAE represents educators across all 100 North Carolina counties, including teachers, support staff, administrators, and community supporters. As the state’s largest professional education organization, the group advocates for increased school funding and improved working conditions for education professionals.
The organization has positioned itself as a key voice in budget negotiations, emphasizing the impact of the delay on public education and state workforce morale. The group continues to push for legislative action to resolve the budget standoff before the start of the new school year brings additional financial pressures to districts statewide.
State lawmakers have not announced a timeline for resolving their differences and moving forward with budget approval.
