Rep. Lambeth files bill in North Carolina House to raise education salaries

A new bill filed by State Rep. Donny Lambeth in the North Carolina House seeks to raise salaries for educators and support staff while restoring education-based salary supplements, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 192 on Feb. 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Salary Adjustments and Budget Offsets.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill aims to increase teacher and instructional support personnel salaries and reinstate education-based salary supplements in North Carolina for the 2025-26 fiscal year. It outlines a new monthly salary schedule based on years of experience and includes various percentage-based salary supplements for teachers with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, master’s degrees, or higher academic preparation. Certified school nurses and school counselors are also included for salary supplements. The bill appropriates $1.597 billion from the General Fund to implement these salary changes and an additional $8 million for reinstating education-based salary supplements. Furthermore, it requires the North Carolina Collaboratory to study and report on the feasibility of a new compensation allotment system based on average daily membership rather than guaranteed positions by Feb. 15, 2026. The act is set to become effective on July 1, 2025.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Erin Paré proposed the most bills (17) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Lambeth graduated from High Point University in 1972 with a BA.

Lambeth, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2013 to represent the state’s 75th House district, replacing previous state representative Bill McGee.