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SB 850

Pay Teachers What They're Worth Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Gale Adcock and 8 co-sponsors

SB 850 raises teacher pay, reinstates education-based supplements, funds paid student teaching grants, and requires a Collaboratory study to boost educator compensation long-term.

Passed 1st Reading
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Bill Summary · SB 850

Summary of SB 850 (2025 Session) – Pay Teachers What They're Worth Act

Purpose and Intent

SB 850 aims to address teacher shortages in North Carolina by:
- Increasing educator salaries.
- Reinstating education-based salary supplements.
- Creating a Paid Student Teaching Grant Program to support recruitment of future teachers.
- Mandating a state-level study through the North Carolina Collaboratory to identify long-term strategies for elevating educator compensation.

The bill emphasizes competitive pay and stronger preparation pipelines as essential to attracting and retaining qualified educators across the state.

Key Provisions

Part I: Raise Salaries for Teachers and Instructional Support Personnel

  • For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a new monthly salary schedule for licensed teachers (category "A" based on years of experience) is established, with explicit monthly amounts rising by experience from 0 to 25+ years (example: 0 years = $5,000/month; 25+ years = $6,823/month).
  • Supplements on top of the base schedule:
    • NBPTS-certified teachers: base monthly salary + 12% supplementation.
    • "M" teachers (master’s level prep) receive a monthly supplement of 10% of the "A" schedule.
    • Six-year degree level prep: additional $126/month on top of the "M" supplement.
    • Doctorate-level prep: additional $253/month on top of the "M" supplement.
    • Certified school nurses: 10% of monthly salary on the "A" schedule.
    • School counselors (master’s degree or higher): an extra $100/month.
  • For school psychologists, speech pathologists, and audiologists at master’s level or higher:
    • First step aligned with the 6th step of the "A" schedule.
    • Monthly supplements at 10% of their salary, plus a $350 monthly supplement (additional).
    • Eligibility to receive salary supplements equivalent to six-year or doctoral degree preparation.
    • The 26th step of the schedule is 7.5% higher than the 25th step.
  • Longevity payments are consolidated into the monthly salary schedule (since 2014-2015).
  • The term “teacher” includes instructional support personnel.
  • Funding: $1,675,000,000 in recurring General Fund appropriations beginning in 2026-2027 to increase teacher salaries per this section.

Part II: Reinstatement of Education-Based Salary Supplements

  • Repeals the current statute (G.S. 115C-302.10) and, for 2026-2027, uses policy TCP-A-006 (as of June 30, 2013) to determine eligibility for “M” salary schedule and six-year/doctoral supplements.
  • Recurring appropriation of $8,000,000 starting 2026-2027 to reinstate education-based supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel.

Part III: Paid Student Teaching Grant Program

  • Creates a new §115C-269.33: Paid Student Teaching Grant Program.
  • Eligible student teachers:
    • Enrolled in an approved educator preparation program.
    • Completing student teaching in a public school unit.
    • Demonstrates financial need (including Pell eligibility).
    • Has not received a grant previously.
  • Grants: up to $5,000 per year, distributed monthly during student teaching.
  • Recruitment bonus: a one-time $2,500 bonus to grant recipients who accept and stay with a public school unit for at least 30 days after graduation; bonuses do not count as state retirementable compensation.
  • Reporting: annual report due by April 15 to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee detailing grant recipients, funding gaps, and placement outcomes.
  • Funding: $10,000,000 recurring from the General Fund starting 2026-2027 for grants and recruitment bonuses.

Part IV: NC Collaboratory Study on Educator Compensation

  • Requires the North Carolina Collaboratory to study and report by March 15, 2027, on strategies to meaningfully increase educator compensation over the next 10 years.
  • Evaluation areas include salary competitiveness, long-term growth, career advancement and leadership models, incentives for high-need subjects/schools, retention strategies, funding sustainability, and a review of best practices from other states.

Part V: Effective Date

  • The act would take effect July 1, 2026.

Potential Impact

  • Substantial, multi-faceted increase in teacher pay across experience levels and specialties.
  • reinstatement of education-based supplements for a broader group of educators and support staff.
  • Immediate investments in recruiting future teachers via stipends during training and post-graduation bonuses.
  • A formal, data-driven approach to long-term compensation reform through the Collaboratory study.
  • Overall goal: reduce shortages, improve recruitment and retention, and strengthen instructional quality in North Carolina public schools.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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