House Bill 445 would restore education-based salary supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel, including school social workers, by repealing a prior statute and directing the State Board of Education to use its pre-2013 policy for determining eligibility for the “M” salary schedule and for supplements tied to six-year and doctoral degrees. The bill also appropriates $8 million in recurring General Fund dollars for fiscal year 2025-2026 to fund those reinstated supplements.
In a separate transparency provision, the bill requires local boards of education to adopt minimum salary schedules for occupational therapists and physical therapists employed in full-time, permanent positions, with salary steps based on experience in no more than five-year intervals. It further requires each local board to publish the adopted salary schedule on its website by October 15 each year. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would amend North Carolina education compensation law by repealing G.S. 115C-302.10 and restoring a prior State Board policy framework for education-based pay supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel. It would also create a recurring state appropriation to the Department of Public Instruction and impose new annual publication requirements on local school boards for occupational therapist and physical therapist salary schedules, affecting compensation practices for school employees paid from state, local, or federal funds.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or support levels in the available materials. Based on the bill’s title and structure, the measure appears designed to appeal to educators and school support staff by increasing transparency and restoring degree-based compensation, while also imposing administrative requirements on local boards.
Contention
The likely points of contention are fiscal cost and local control. The $8 million recurring appropriation may draw scrutiny from budget-minded lawmakers, and reinstating education-based supplements could be debated by those who question differential pay based on advanced degrees. The publication requirement for therapist salary schedules may be viewed as a transparency measure by supporters, but as an added administrative mandate by local school boards.