Thank you Public School Educators and Advocates!You are the wind beneath our wings! |
It has been a year full of disappointment in our elected officials who have created policy chaos and great fiscal harm to our public schools while spending hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars on private school tuition subsidies. Your determination to never back down from supporting our public school children and educators is more important than ever. You have gone to battle with us over the lack of a state budget, the refusal of legislators to fund Leandro, the lack of protections for our students with disabilities, and the shocking dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. You witnessed legislators prioritizing funding unaccountable and expensive private school vouchers instead of funding our public schools and the educators who make them successful. Please accept our deepest gratitude for your support and your personal advocacy work throughout the year. Together, we have spoken out loudly against bad bills that are undermining public education and North Carolina’s constitutional promise to provide a free, public education to every student. Together, we helped give our educators and students a voice. We thank you for always protecting our children! While our elected representatives let our children and educators down, your determination and resilience never waivered. During all the chaos, with your help, we have alerted the public and called on their help in defending public education. There is much work to be done. We will need you again in 2026 to continue monitoring and holding the NC General Assembly and the US Congress accountable for their actions and sadly often, their inaction. It is time for NC public schools to have a budget they deserve! We are unwavering in our commitment to our public school educators and their students. We will fight for the resources they need to succeed. We invite you to share your time and talents along with a tax-deductible donation to help Public Schools First keep the public informed and engaged in the fight to protect and strengthen public education. No matter what 2026 brings, we know that North Carolinians will join our educators in standing up for protecting our children’s education. We will be there with you; we will not waver in our commitment to our public school educators and their students. Enjoy the holiday season. We will see you next year! |
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Governor Hunt: Public Education ChampionMay 16, 1937 - December 18, 2025 |
On December 18, North Carolina lost its most enduring and effective public school champion, James (Jim) B. Hunt, Jr. During his time in state-level office, elected lieutenant governor in 1972 and then governor in 1976, 1980, 1992, and 1996, Hunt did more to elevate the importance of education and children’s health and their role in the long-term health of a state than any other politician in the state’s history. Raised in Wilson County, NC by his mother who was an English teacher and librarian and a father who was a soil and water conservation agent. He attended NC State where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and a master’s degree in agricultural economics and later earned a law degree at UNC law school. But politics always interested him and he got involved early. While still at NC State, he worked on Terry Sanford’s campaign for governor. During his time as governor, Hunt started the Smart Start program, an early childhood education program that currently operates in all 100 counties. Hunt also helped create the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), added teacher assistants to grades K-3, worked to raise teacher salaries, and brought our national average salary ranking to #20 in the 2001-2002 school year. Governor Hunt knew the vital importance of strong public schools in attracting business to the state and good jobs for its citizens. In words and actions he worked to raise the quality of public education in North Carolina, and when vouchers were introduced to the state long after he left the governor’s mansion, he strongly opposed them. Watch PSNFC’s 2015 interview with Jim Hunt, Jr. |
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Public Schools First NC works to educate and inform North Carolinians about the critical public education issues that affect our schools, educators, and students. We remain focused on ensuring that NC has a unified, equitable system of high-quality public schools that provides every student with a solid foundation for success as a positive, engaged, and successful member of society. Thanks to your support, this year we have broadened our work, increasing our partnerships and productivity, which fueled more outreach and engagement across the state. Original Reports and Videos. In 2025, PSFNC published more original reports and videos than ever before, serving as a sought-after source of research and information on public education in North Carolina. Two of our most popular videos are Do You Know About NC School Vouchers? And The Importance of NC Pre-K. Webinars, Presentations and Book Talks. We continue our tradition of hosting webinars with prominent authors and education leaders, often in partnership with NC PTA. Recordings of all webinars are posted on our YouTube channel. This year we hosted in-person book talks with authors Derek Black, author of Dangerous Learning: The South’s Long War on Black Literacy and Adrienne Wood, author of Autism Out Loud and a Zoom interview with Diane Ravitch about her new book, An Education: How I Changed My Mind About Schools and Almost Everything Else Read our complete Year in Review. |
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Legislative and SBE Updates |
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Join Us On Jones Street in January! |
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| Join Public Schools First NC and other public education supporters at the legislature in downtown Raleigh on the second Wednesday each month until the legislative short session starts in April. We will meet in front of the State Legislative Building at 140 E. Jones Street in Raleigh to advocate for public schools! 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - January 14
- February 11
- March 11
- April 8
Can we count on you? Fill out this Google Form to let us know you're coming! |
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| There's still time to get a good book to read over the break and help us at the same time! To help you start the new year off right! Public Schools First NC has a terrific selection of books we've featured over the years in our webinars and conferences. When you donate $50 or more to Public Schools First NC, we'll send you your book choice. DONATE HERE |
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| Multiple Dates, 7:00-8:30 pm: Resilience and ACES. Learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and resilience. Join us for this award-winning, 60-minute film, Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope. This documentary examines how abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences affect children’s development & health outcomes in adulthood. This powerful movie is a conversation starter and a perspective changer. REGISTER HERE |
All screenings are on Thursday and include time for discussion. Invite a friend and contact us about setting up a private screening for your school staff, PTA, civic group, church, or synagogue. - January 22, 2026
- February 26, 2026
- March 26, 2026
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Words to Remember"I was involved in public education my whole life and was formed by it.” — James B. Hunt, North Carolina Governor: 1976 - 1984 & 1992 - 2000. |
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Help us support public schools!Please make a tax-deductible contribution to help us sustain and expand our critical work on behalf of students, educators, and public schools! |
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Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused solely on pre-K to 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents, teachers, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares each child for productive citizenship. www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org |
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