On April 2, the NC Supreme Court released a 4-3 opinion that brought an end to the decades-long Leandro litigation stemming from the 1994 Leandro v. State of NC lawsuit.
Filed by five school districts in low-wealth counties along with families in those districts, the suit claimed that the state was not providing enough money to allow these districts to provide an equal education for their children.
By dismissing the suit with prejudice, the NC Supreme Court relieved state lawmakers of any obligation to properly fund public schools in our state and ensured the plaintiffs could not refile their claims.
This is important context for the coming events of this week, which include a scheduled vote to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of the Educational Choice for Children Act and a massive rally that educators plan to hold in Raleigh on Friday to call for fair pay.
Veto Override Votes Scheduled on the House Floor
When the NC House of Representatives convenes Monday morning, its calendar for the day comprises one category: Unfinished Business.
This means “reconsideration” of six bills that were passed by the NCGA in summer 2025 but vetoed by Gov. Josh Stein. If both the House and Senate vote with three-fifths majorities, they can overturn those vetoes.
The GOP lost its supermajority in last November’s election, though news of NC Rep. Carla Cunningham leaving the Democratic Party on Friday makes it more likely that Republicans can count on her vote to override any of Stein’s vetoes. Cunningham is finishing out her term as a lame duck after losing in the March Democratic primaries.
Here’s a quick recap of the vetoes that are up for a vote on the House floor starting on Monday morning:
Educational Choice for Children Act: This bill would opt North Carolina into a federal tax credit program that would fully reimburse a household up to $1,700 for any donation to a nonprofit that provides private school scholarships.
Freedom to Carry NC: This bill would allow any person 18 years old or older to carry a concealed weapon without a permit unless prohibited otherwise by law.
North Carolina Border Protection Act: This bill would require state agencies to cooperate with ICE and make it more difficult for undocumented people to receive state benefits.
Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: This bill would eliminate so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state and local government, prohibiting funding, training, and staff positions dedicated to DEI.
Eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Public Education: This bill would prohibit K-12 public schools from funding, promoting, or staffing DEI initiatives.
Eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Public Higher Education: This bill would prohibit state-funded universities from funding, promoting, or staffing DEI initiatives.
Teachers Rally in Raleigh to Call for Better Pay
Some of the state’s largest school districts have called off classes on Friday, May 1, as educators plan to attend a rally held by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) in Raleigh to call for fair pay for teachers and public education funding.
NCAE will hold a press briefing on Monday in the lead-up to the rally to discuss the findings of the National Education Association’s “Educator Pay in America” report, which examines average educator pay across all 50 states, ranks states on their compensation efforts, and analyzes key indicators such as student funding levels.
In last year’s report, North Carolina dropped five spots to 43rd in the nation, with an average teacher salary of about $58,000 — nearly $14,000 below the national average and trailing all neighboring states.
“We know that, as educators, we’ve been forced to take pay cut after pay cut because of the General Assembly’s blatant disregard for us, our well-being, and public schools as a whole,” stated Bryan Profitt, NCAE’s vice president, in a release announcing the briefing. “North Carolina continues to fall in these rankings year after year, showing both us and the nation just how little our lawmakers prioritize our students. This report shows us where the goalpost is. Now it’s time for us to take collective action to reach it.”
Districts including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Guilford County Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Durham Public Schools, and Wake County Public Schools have announced that they will either close or switch to a teacher workday on Friday due to the large number of expected absences among teachers.
BOOM Charlotte celebrates fringe arts and culture in Charlotte
May 1-3, The Boardwalk at University City, Charlotte
If you’re looking for the arts over politics, you’ll want to make your way to The Boardwalk at University City in north Charlotte over the weekend, where BOOM Charlotte will celebrate its 10th year showcasing the avant-garde and fringe aspects of Charlotte’s dance, music, theatre, poetry, visual arts and film scenes, among other creative communities.
The festival includes free and ticketed performances taking place over three days on the banks of a manmade lake near UNC Charlotte.
It would take a separate full-length article to delve into the rich array of performing artists you can find at this weekend’s festival, so we suggest you check out the schedule to plan ahead before you get there.
