Student advocate Morgan Taylor speaks to a crowd in front of the NC Legislative Building on April 21, 2026. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline)
With courts no longer enforcing the Leandro plan, Rep. Julie von Haefen (D-Wake) on Tuesday renewed her long-running push to fund it in the legislature, as dozens of public school advocates rallied outside the North Carolina General Assembly.
This marks the seventh time von Haefen has filed the proposal, which has repeatedly failed to receive a committee hearing. “I’m tired of asking. I’m tired of filing these bills. I’m tired of standing at microphones begging this state to fund public education.”
It also comes on the heels of an April 2 state Supreme Court decision that shifted the responsibility of funding the Leandro plan back to the General Assembly. Von Haefen’s bill requires the state to fund the series of reforms laid out in the Leandro case, a decades-long school funding lawsuit first filed in 1994.
At the same time, some two dozen advocates gathered outside the North Carolina General Assembly on the opening day of the short session to press for action on both the Leandro plan and broader education funding priorities. Speakers described schools strained by staffing shortages, limited student services and growing disparities between districts.
Xavier Adams, a teacher at Orange High School and the 2022 North Carolina beginning teacher of the year, said schools are increasingly relying on temporary funding streams to maintain programs while struggling to keep educators in the profession.
“Teachers should not and cannot continuously rely on a patchwork of nonrenewable grants,” he said.
Morgan Taylor, a student advocate from Pitt County, said her district has lost nearly 70 teaching positions, leading to larger class sizes and fewer extracurricular programs. “It means bigger classes, less support and teachers who are doing everything they can, but are stretched,” Taylor said.
“Fully funding public schools should not be a debate. It should be a given,” Taylor said.
Other speakers pointed to gaps in mental health services and special education staffing, saying families are absorbing more of the burden as school resources fall short.
Stein pitches NC budget with teacher raises, tax cuts, Medicaid funding
On the same day, Gov. Josh Stein proposed a new budget that includes about $2.3 billion for public education. The plan calls for an average 11% raise for teachers and would raise starting teacher pay to the highest level in the Southeast.
North Carolina ranks second to last in the nation in per-pupil spending and below all neighboring states in starting teacher pay.
“If we’re going to continue to build our economic success, there’s one area where we cannot afford to fall behind: our public schools,” said Stein. “Our children are our future, and investing in them and the educators that help them learn will pay off for generations to come.”
The North Carolina Association of Educators released a statement praising the budget proposal. “It raises teacher pay at all levels, restores master’s pay, eliminates the mid-career pay plateau, invests more in Exceptional Children programs, and ensures every child can eat breakfast at school,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE president.
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