North Carolina teacher pay falls to 46th in U.S.

April 28, 2026

Summary

A new report said North Carolina teacher pay is projected to drop this year, ranking the state 46th nationwide.

Why this matters

The report offers a benchmark for comparing North Carolina’s teacher pay and school funding with other states as lawmakers debate the budget. It also outlines how Gov. Josh Stein’s proposal would affect teacher raises and education spending.

North Carolina is the only state where teacher pay is projected to decline this year, according to a new report from the National Education Association.

The 2026 report ranked North Carolina 46th in the nation for average teacher pay, down three spots from last year. Average salaries were projected at $59,971 for the 2025-26 school year, down from $60,323 the year before. Nationally, the average public school teacher salary rose 3.5% to $74,495 in 2023-24.

The report said teachers nationwide earn about 5% less than they did 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation. North Carolina now trails every neighboring state in educator pay. Teachers in the state would need a 21% raise to match Georgia’s average salary of $72,758.

The report also ranked North Carolina 46th in per-student funding. The state spends about $13,680 per student, nearly $5,500 below the national average.

North Carolina Association of Educators leaders said the rankings reflected policy choices, including tax cuts and private school vouchers. “The downward trend in our rankings reflects the choices of a General Assembly that has spent years funneling public money away from public schools through corporate tax cuts and the expansion of private school vouchers,” President Tamika Walker Kelly said during a virtual press conference.

Gov. Josh Stein’s budget proposal includes about $2.3 billion for public education, an average 11% raise for teachers, and starting teacher pay that would be the highest in the Southeast.

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Hawaii

Hawaiʻi Needs 60,000 More Homes by 2050, Report Says

Residents 65 and older will need 44,000 of those units. The shortage is raising housing costs and contributing to out-migration among younger residents.

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Hawaiʻi will need nearly 60,000 additional housing units by 2050 to meet projected demand, driven largely by an aging population, according to a new AARP Hawaiʻi report based on 2024 U.S. Census data.

T“It’s not just about kūpuna needing affordable housing. When a lack of affordable housing forces young working families to leave Hawaiʻi, the impacts are felt across generations,” Keali‘i Lopez, state director of AARP Hawaiʻi, said in a statement. “The question becomes not only where our children and grandchildren will live, but who will care for our aging parents and grandparents if families can no longer afford to stay.”

The share of Hawaiʻi residents 65 and older rose from 16% in 2016 to more than 21% in 2024. A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Economic Research Organization study projected that 25% of the state’s population will be 65 or older by 2035.

An analysis by Econorthwest, a Portland, Oregon, consulting firm, said 29% of new housing statewide by 2035 will be needed for people ages 65 to 84. By 2050, it said, residents 85 and older will need 40% of new housing.

For residents 65 and older, just under one-third of new units will need to be affordable to those earning less than $63,900, or 60% of area median income, the report said. It also said meeting older residents’ needs will require “prioritizing homes that support aging in place and smaller households.”

Between 2014 and 2024, Hawaiʻi added 43,000 housing units, an 8% increase. Over the same period, the number of households grew 9.5%.

About two-thirds of the additional 60,000 units will be needed by 2035, the report said.

The report said Hawaiʻi had the nation’s third-lowest retention rate for residents ages 20 to 30, behind Alaska and Wyoming.
Virginia

Virginia abortion amendment faces new ballot suit

If upheld, that earlier challenge could affect all four constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot, including proposals on voting rights restoration for people with felony convictions who have completed their sentences, same-sex marriage protections, and a mid-decade redistricting effort now before the Supreme Court of Virginia.

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A second lawsuit filed in Tazewell County challenged a proposed Virginia constitutional amendment on reproductive rights, this time arguing the ballot language is misleading.

The suit was filed in Tazewell County Circuit Court by Bluefield Town Council member Meagan Kade and Chesterfield County child psychiatrist Sheila Furey. They are represented by the Founding Freedoms Law Center, the legal arm of the conservative advocacy group Family Foundation.

“The language voters will see when they walk into the voting booth in November is engineered to obscure what this amendment actually does,” Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb said Thursday.

The plaintiffs argued the amendment would eliminate parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions or surgical birth control procedures, and remove the current three-physician approval requirement for certain later-pregnancy abortions. They said voters may not understand the amendment’s effects based on the ballot wording.

Existing Virginia law requires parental or guardian consent for surgeries on minors unless a minor successfully petitions a judge for approval.

Democrats who placed the amendment on the ballot said it would not override existing law, but would more firmly protect access to abortion, contraception, and fertility treatment. They have also sought for years to remove the state’s three-physician requirement, saying it can delay care for patients in rural areas facing life-threatening emergencies.
South Carolina

2 injured in Columbia apartment complex shooting

Investigators were interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage Thursday afternoon. No arrests had been reported.

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Two people were injured in a shooting Thursday at the Colony Apartments in Columbia, where multiple violent incidents have been reported in recent years, according to the Columbia Police Department.

Officers were called to the complex in the 6400 block of Bailey Street around noon after a report of shots fired. While officers were en route, the call was updated to say people had been struck by gunfire, police said.

Police found two victims, one with a gunshot wound to the leg and the other with an injury to the arm. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

No other injuries were reported. Police said the shooting was not random and may have involved an exchange of gunfire between the two victims.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. In an emergency, call 911.
South Carolina

Bluffton care home death lawsuit heads to jury trial

The lawsuit alleges negligent care and says the facility failed to take adequate safety measures for a resident with a documented risk of elopement.

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A Beaufort County jury is expected to begin hearing a wrongful death lawsuit Monday over the 2023 disappearance and death of a 79-year-old resident of The Palmettos of Bluffton.

The suit, filed in 2024 by the family of Jack Tribble, names the assisted living facility and its parent company, National Healthcare Corporation, which operates the Bluffton home and more than 100 other facilities nationwide.

According to court filings, Tribble, who had Lewy body dementia and a history of wandering, left the memory care unit on the evening of Aug. 23, 2023, by following a contracting employee through a keypad-locked door. The lawsuit alleges staff gave contractors the door code, at least two employees saw Tribble outside but did not stop him, and staff did not realize for about three hours that he was missing.

Tribble’s body was found Sept. 6, 2023, in a swampy area less than a half-mile from the facility near the intersection of S.C. 170 and Bluffton Parkway, police said. A coroner’s report found he had died two days earlier. An autopsy cited acute bronchopneumonia caused by environmental exposure, according to court filings.
South Carolina

Okatie man charged in Coligny Beach shooting

Judicial records showed the suspect was being held on a $25,000 cash bond on the aggravated breach of peace charge, a misdemeanor under South Carolina law. He remained in jail as of Thursday morning.

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An Okatie man was arrested Tuesday in connection with gunfire at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island earlier this month, according to Beaufort County inmate records.

The 20-year-old was charged with aggravated breach of peace and violating Hilton Head’s ordinance banning gunfire within town limits.

An arrest warrant said he was at Coligny Beach about 10:40 p.m. April 4 when he brandished a gun and fired three shots in the direction of “innocent people” nearby. Multiple beachgoers “fled the area in panic,” the warrant said.

Eight Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the entrance of Coligny Beach Park after multiple callers reported gunfire, according to an incident report. Investigators found no gunshot victims in the area or at local hospitals, according to previous reporting.

The shooting stemmed from a “gathering of kids” that turned into a fight on the beach, Lt. Daniel Allen, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said. Allen said Thursday that the investigation remained active and that the 20-year-old appeared to be the only person charged so far.

The warrant, signed by a judge Monday, said investigators identified the suspect through surveillance footage from the Coligny Beach area. The footage showed him wearing the same clothes and having the same physical appearance as the gunman seen in a video of the shooting, according to the warrant.

After gathering information about the suspect, deputies stopped his vehicle and arrested him Tuesday, Allen said. He said investigators also used the county’s automatic license plate readers.
North Carolina

N.C. House Democrats propose food security bill

N.C. House Democrats introduced a bill to expand food assistance, support farmers, preserve farmland, and ban grocery dynamic pricing.

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Buncombe Rep. Eric Ager said his new bill, House Bill 1057, was drafted in response to rising food and grocery prices.

“Wages have just not kept up with the cost of basic necessities,” said Ager. “The same basket of groceries – cost goes up, same paycheck stretches less.”

The bill, titled the Affordable Food Act, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorizing a nutrition incentive program to help families buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Ager said the measure also aimed to address food deserts. U.S. Department of Agriculture data identified 11 food deserts in Buncombe County, which Ager said affected about 23,000 residents in his district.

House Bill 1057 would support mobile markets, food banks, nonprofits, local governments, and food co-ops serving underserved areas.

“The grant program in this bill would help us bring food to the communities that need it most,” Ager said.

Rep. Ray Jeffers, a Person County farmer, said the legislation would create a farmer stabilization program within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to buy food grown or processed in North Carolina for distribution to public and nonprofit food assistance programs.

Jeffers said small, mid-sized, and historically underserved producers are more likely to remain in agriculture if they have reliable buyers. The bill also set aside $47 million in recurring funds for farmland preservation. North Carolina is losing 100,000 acres of farmland and forest land a year.

Rep. Garland Pierce, D-Scotland, said he signed onto the bill because a significant portion of his district includes Fort Bragg. The bill’s proposed Targeted Military and Veteran Food Assistance Program would provide $140 million in recurring funds to address food insecurity among military members, veterans, and military families.

According to a 2023 study conducted for the Military Family Advisory Network, 1 in 5 military and veteran families reported some level of food insecurity.

The bill would also prohibit retail grocery stores from using dynamic pricing, which allows electronic price tags to change based on demand, time of day, and other market conditions. Ager said the practice makes it harder for shoppers to plan and budget.

Earlier this month, Maryland became the first state to ban dynamic pricing, including the use of consumers’ personal data to set prices for goods or services.

Ager said the bill carries a significant fiscal note, but he hopes to win bipartisan support as the state budget is written.
North Carolina

Stein signs $319M Medicaid bill, averting shortfall

More than 3 million North Carolinians rely on Medicaid.

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Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill Thursday approving $319 million in Medicaid funding after state health officials warned the program could run out of money by the end of May without a state budget.

Before signing House Bill 696, Stein said lawmakers should provide recurring funding next year to keep the program stable.

“For months, the status of Medicaid in North Carolina has been in unnecessary jeopardy,” Stein said. “I’m relieved to say that the bill that I will be signing will provide certainty and care that the people and the providers of this state need and deserve.”

House and Senate lawmakers passed House Bill 696, titled “Medicaid & HHS Adjust./Other Critical Needs,” nearly unanimously earlier this week.

Three Democrats in each chamber voted against it, saying it would deny Medicaid coverage to 27,000 pregnant women and their children because of immigration status. They said the group includes victims of human trafficking, green card holders, refugees, other immigrants with legal status, and undocumented immigrants who are pregnant or recently gave birth.

Stein said he was concerned about that provision, but cited the urgency of funding the program.

“Depriving these vulnerable women and children healthcare converge is wrong,” Stein said. “Fortunately, based on conversations we’ve had, I believe that it is the General Assembly’s intention to fix this.”

The bill also creates new Medicaid copays at the maximum amount allowed under federal law. A coalition of 14 nonpartisan organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, urged policymakers to reconsider the amounts.

“Research has shown that even low levels of cost-sharing and copayments deter patients from seeking care,” the coalition said.

The measure also requires Medicaid to verify three months of work eligibility before approving applicants, though federal law requires a minimum one-month lookback period. Stein said some eligible people could be denied benefits because of the longer review.

Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, said Medicaid faces a $1 billion cost increase in the next fiscal year, larger than the expected state budget surplus. He said costs have risen by more than 90% over the past five years in North Carolina.

The law also includes measures aimed at waste and abuse in Medicaid. Stein said he was not concerned about questions over enforcement authority and said state agencies already work together on fraud cases.
Finance & Markets

Asian shares rise, oil steadies near $111 a barrel

Reports showed the U.S. economy grew more slowly in January through March than economists expected, inflation worsened in March, and fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week.

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Brent crude rose 67 cents to $111.07 per barrel, and U.S. benchmark crude added 10 cents to $105.17.

U.S. futures rose 0.2% after Wall Street set more records Thursday. The S&P 500 climbed 1% to 7,209.01, topping its previous all-time high and capping its best month in more than five years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% to 49,652.14, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9% to a record 24,892.31.

Alphabet jumped 10% after reporting a quarterly profit that was nearly double analysts’ expectations. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said investments in artificial intelligence “are lighting up every part of the business.”

Meta Platforms fell 8.7% despite stronger-than-expected profit, as investors focused on higher projected spending on data centers and AI. Microsoft fell 3.9% after also raising its forecast for investment and capital spending. Amazon rose 0.8%.

In the oil market, the most actively traded Brent contract for July delivery rose as high as $114.70 a barrel, fell toward $107, and settled at $110.40 on Thursday, little changed from the day before. Its peak during the war was $119.50 last month. In thinner trading, Brent for June delivery briefly topped $126 overnight before falling back toward $114. Brent was about $70 before the war.
Finance & Markets

Mortgage rates rise, remain below year-ago levels

Since 1971, the average 30-year fixed rate has been 7.69%, compared with 6.30% now.

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Mortgage rates increased this week, according to Freddie Mac. The average 30-year fixed rate rose 7 basis points to 6.30%, while the 15-year fixed rate increased 6 basis points to 5.64%.

Freddie Mac’s archives show rates fell for four straight weeks until the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. Rates then rose for five weeks, before declining for three consecutive weeks in April.

Despite the latest increase, both benchmark rates remained below their levels a year earlier. The 30-year rate was 6.76% this week in 2025, or 46 basis points higher than the current level. The 15-year rate was 5.92% a year ago, 28 basis points above today’s rate.

The current 30-year rate was also slightly below its 52-week average of 6.39%. Over the past year, it reached as high as 6.89%. The 15-year rate was just above its 52-week average of 5.63% and reached 6.03% twice in spring 2025.
World

Gaza flotilla activists disembark in Crete after detention

Several European governments called on Israel to release the activists and said the action violated international law. The U.S. backed Israel.

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About 175 activists detained by Israel while trying to reach Gaza by sea disembarked in Crete on Friday, escorted by Greek coast guards.

The activists, most of them from European countries, were taken by four buses to the port of Atherinolakkos in southeastern Crete. As they approached the port, they chanted, “Free Palestine.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said about 175 activists were taken from more than 20 boats on Thursday. Organizers of the flotilla put the number at 211.

The flotilla involved more than 50 vessels that had set sail in recent weeks from Marseille, France, Barcelona, Spain, and Syracuse, Italy. Organizers said the mission aimed to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Friday, “All the flotilla activists are now in Greece except Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila.”

In a post on X, Israel’s ministry called the flotilla “another provocation designed to divert attention from Hamas’s refusal to disarm.” It also said the flotilla was serving “professional provocateurs.”

The ministry said Keshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation” and that he and Avila, who was suspected of “illegal activity,” would be taken to Israel for questioning.

Several European governments whose nationals were among those detained called on Israel to release the activists and said the action violated international law.

The United States backed Israel, calling the flotilla a “stunt” and saying it expected allies to deny port access, docking, departure, and refueling to vessels involved. A State Department spokesman said Washington was considering “consequences” for those who support the flotilla.

A previous voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla in summer and fall 2025 also drew international attention. Its boats were intercepted by Israel off Egypt and Gaza in early October, and crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and later expelled by Israel.