Fairness and Transparency in Education Salaries.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 20 co-sponsors

Reinstates education-based salary supplements for teachers and instructional staff for 2025–26; requires local boards to publish minimum OT/PT salary schedules.

Passed 1st Reading

Summary — HB 445: Fairness & Transparency in Education Salaries (2025)

Status: Introduced by Rep. von Haefen; enacted. Effective date: July 1, 2025.

Purpose
- To reinstate education-based salary supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel (including school social workers) and to increase transparency by requiring local school boards to publish minimum salary schedules for occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs).

Key provisions
1. Reinstate education-based supplements
- Repeals G.S. 115C‑302.10.
- For the 2025–2026 fiscal year, requires use of State Board of Education policy TCP‑A‑006, as it existed on June 30, 2013, to determine:
- Whether teachers and instructional support personnel (including school social workers) are paid on the "M" salary schedule; and
- Whether they qualify for a salary supplement for advanced academic preparation (six‑year or doctoral degree level).
- Appropriates $8,000,000 in recurring General Fund dollars to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for 2025–2026 to support reinstatement of these supplements.

Publish minimum salary schedules for OTs and PTs

Amends G.S. 115C‑316(b1) to require every local board of education to adopt a minimum salary schedule for full‑time, permanent occupational therapists and physical therapists.
The minimum schedule must:
- Apply to positions funded by State, local, or federal funds;
- Differentiate pay by years of experience, with experience intervals no greater than five years; and
- Conform to the noncertified salary grades and ranges adopted by the State Board of Education.
Local boards may pay above the minimum but State‑funded salaries must remain within State ranges.
Requires each local board to publish its adopted salary schedule for OTs and PTs on its website no later than October 15 each year.

Who is affected
- Teachers and instructional support personnel (including school social workers) eligible for the "M" salary schedule and degree‑based supplements.
- Occupational therapists and physical therapists employed by local school systems (full‑time, permanent positions).
- Local boards of education (obligation to adopt/publish schedules).
- Department of Public Instruction (recipient and administrator of the appropriation).

Fiscal and administrative impacts
- State cost: $8.0 million recurring appropriation to DPI for FY 2025–26 to fund reinstated supplements. (The bill specifies this appropriation; additional fiscal impacts depend on implementation.)
- Local administrative burden: adopting and annually publishing OT/PT salary schedules; ensuring State‑funded salaries conform to State ranges.
- Potential impact on employee compensation: reinstated supplements may increase pay for qualifying teachers/ISPs and could affect recruitment/retention.

Timing and implementation
- Applies beginning with the 2025–2026 fiscal year.
- Local boards must publish required OT/PT salary schedules annually by October 15.
- Effective date: July 1, 2025.

Notes
- The bill relies on a prior State Board policy (TCP‑A‑006, as of 6/30/2013) for determining supplement eligibility for the 2025–26 year.
- Local boards retain discretion to pay above the minimum schedules, subject to State grade/range constraints for State‑funded positions.