Special to IFN
RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday joined State Budget Director Kristin Walker to announce his 2025-2027 budget proposal to keep North Carolina strong. The governor’s budget makes key investments in the economy, families, education, workforce, health care, and public safety to help ensure every North Carolinian has a shot at a brighter future.
“My budget is balanced and puts kids and families – their job opportunities, their education, their wallets, their health and their safety – first,” Stein said.
Building A Strong Workforce
Every North Carolinian deserves the opportunity to get a good-paying job or start a small business. The governor’s budget expands job opportunities by investing in apprenticeship programs, providing free community college to students pursuing credentials in high-demand industries, and supporting people rejoining the workforce after incarceration.
Strengthening Families & Lowering Costs
Too many North Carolinians are struggling to pay their bills as costs continue to climb, especially housing and child care. Stein’s budget seeks to strengthen families and lower costs by expanding high-quality child care options and paying early childhood educators more, cutting taxes for middle-class families, and building more homes. The budget’s targeted tax cuts will put more money back in people’s pockets and help offset the cost of child care and other basic necessities.
Improving Public Education
Investing in North Carolina’s children is an investment in the state’s future. Stein’s budget raises starting teacher pay to be the highest in the Southeast and rewards and retains teachers so that students have access to the best education. It also invests in student health by hiring more school nurses, counselors, and social workers and providing free breakfast in our public schools. It takes on school safety by upgrading school infrastructure and reduces the distraction of cell phones in classrooms. Finally, the budget proposes a $4 billion bond to modernize old and outdated school buildings.
Keeping North Carolinians Safe & Healthy
Gov. Stein is committed to keeping North Carolinians safe and healthy. The budget addresses the shortage of law enforcement officers with raises for state law enforcement officers, particularly correctional officers and youth counselors. It also recommends investments that get deadly fentanyl off the street, solve cold sexual assault cases, and fund body cameras to produce objective evidence. Stein’s budget strengthens the health of all North Carolinians by promoting affordable health care, supporting rural clinics, helping people who are struggling with substance use disorder, and ensuring people have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.
Promoting Fiscal Soundness & Operational Excellence
Taxpayers deserve to know that their money is being well spent. The governor’s budget establishes an IMPACT Center to improve efficiency and effectiveness of state programs so that we can achieve greater value for every tax dollar and ensure a simple, user-friendly experience for North Carolinians. It also recognizes that North Carolina’s needed investments are impossible with current pre-programmed tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals. Stein’s budget proposes freezing current individual and corporate tax rates so that the state can keep up with its rapid population growth and avoid a fiscal cliff.
LEARN MORE
Click HERE to read Governor Stein’s full budget proposal.