Sen. Everitt files bill in North Carolina Senate to raise public school employee wages

A new bill filed by State Sen. Terence Everitt seeks to raise the minimum hourly wage for noncertified public school employees across North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 434 on March 24 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘School Workers Fair Pay Act.’

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

In essence, this bill mandates an increase in the minimum hourly wage for noncertified public school employees in North Carolina to at least $17, with implementation coordinated by the State Board of Education. It allows local school administrative units to use state-provided funds to supplement noncertified employee salaries, ensuring that all such salaries reach the required $17 hourly rate, provided these funds do not replace existing state or non-state salary funds. To support this initiative, $144.7 million will be allocated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The act takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Lisa Grafstein proposed the most bills (45) 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.

Everitt graduated from Rutgers University in 1997 with a BA and again in 2001 from Columbus School of Law with a JD.

Everitt, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2025 to represent the state’s 18th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Mary Wills Bode.