NC School Materials Budget Eyes $800 Million

Families with children in North Carolina public schools should expect new materials and devices as the state weighs its next budget.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Secondary Education

Flat-color editorial illustration of a stack of closed blank books and a closed laptop on a wooden table before tall windows, with soft hills beyond. — The North Carolina State Board of Education is asking lawmakers for nearly $800 million, including $200 per student for instructional materials, to roll out new English and math standards. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should North Carolina shift voucher money to public schools instead of expanding private school vouchers?

The North Carolina State Board of Education is weighing nearly $800 million in funding requests for the next state budget cycle, not including teacher pay raises. The requests would shape how public schools across the state buy materials, build facilities and equip students.

Why it matters

New English Language Arts and Mathematics standards must be rolled out in districts over the next two to three years, and that rollout requires new instructional materials that cost money families and districts do not otherwise budget for. The board is asking lawmakers to act before the next budget is written.

The board outlined 14 specific requests, led by $300 million each year of the two-year cycle for instructional materials. It also seeks $117 million more annually for the school capital fund and $115 million to help districts buy new student devices.

The players

North Carolina State Board of Education

The state body that sets public school policy and standards for North Carolina and is now asking lawmakers for nearly $800 million.

North Carolina General Assembly

The state legislature that will decide whether to fund the board's requests in the next budget cycle.

Governor of North Carolina

The state's chief executive, who will receive the board's budget priorities by January.

The details

The requests are being developed ahead of the next state budget cycle and are framed around the new English Language Arts and Mathematics standards the board adopted within the last year. Those standards require districts to adopt new instructional materials as they are implemented over the next two to three years. North Carolina currently allots about $37.15 per student for materials, and the board is asking for $200 per student. The board also wants lawmakers to direct money saved from pausing the private school voucher expansion to public schools.

Over the next two to three years, new English Language Arts and Mathematics standards are implemented in districts.
The board's funding requests will be considered in the next two-year state budget cycle.
In January 2027, the board plans to submit its budget priorities to the governor.

The Home Front

The request for a $117 million annual increase to the school capital fund, which would reach $400 million, comes against an assessed $18 billion in facilities needs over five years. Families weighing school districts should note how much of the state's construction and device costs depend on decisions made in this budget cycle.

If you have a child in a North Carolina public school, ask the district which instructional materials it plans to adopt as the new English Language Arts and Mathematics standards roll out over the next few years. Keep a record of any school-issued devices and the school's device replacement policy, since a $115 million state request is aimed at helping districts buy new ones.

The takeaway

The requested funding would determine how quickly North Carolina classrooms get new materials and devices under the updated standards. Track the board's budget priorities when they are sent to the governor in January 2027.

What happens next

The board plans to submit its budget priorities to the governor by January 2027, which will set the framework lawmakers consider for the next two-year budget.