Sen. Lowe files bill in North Carolina Senate to expand Teaching Fellows Program

A new bill filed by Sen. Lowe seeks to expand the Teaching Fellows Program by enhancing its funding structure and supporting students preparing for teaching careers in key licensure areas, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 643 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Expand & Enhance the Teaching Fellows Program.’

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 expand and strengthen the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program by revising its funding and operational structure. It establishes the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program Trust Fund, which will finance forgivable loans to students preparing to be teachers in certain licensure areas, such as STEM and special education. The bill increases the loan amount to up to $6,000 per semester and allocates funds for administrative costs, recruitment activities, mentoring, and extracurricular programs. The Director and staff will undertake strategic recruitment, focusing on high-attrition areas, and selection criteria for forgivable loans have been updated. Forgiveness terms are provided for teachers serving in public schools, particularly low-performing ones. The initiative receives $10 million in recurring funds from the General Fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.

Of the two sponsors of this bill, DeAndrea Salvador proposed the most bills (33) 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.

Lowe graduated from Bishop College in 1985 with a BA and again from Drew University School of Theology with a DMIN.

Lowe, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2015 to represent the state’s 32nd Senate district, replacing previous state senator Earline Parmon.