NC schools commission begins work amid lagging proficiency

Gov. Josh Stein and state education officials opened the first meeting of the North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education on April 27 by touting four “historic milestones” in the state’s schools, including the highest graduation rate in state history.

But the same meeting also had darker tones, including data showing that roughly 45% of public school students aren’t proficient in reading and math, NAEP reading scores moving in the wrong direction, and the state’s chief accountability officer telling commissioners the school grading system itself needs to be replaced.

“Clearly there are good things happening in our schools,” Stein said. “But we know there is so much more work to do. We cannot rest on our laurels.”

The 30-member commission was created in March via executive order by Stein and announced in conjunction with Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham; and House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell. The commission convened at NC State University’s Friday Institute to begin a 10-month review of teacher training, student advancement, school operations, accountability, and educational leadership.

School accountability

“What you measure is what you value,” said Michael Maher, chief accountability officer for the Department of Public Instruction, before criticizing the state’s current A-F grading system for public school performance. That system, Maher said, flags hundreds more failing schools than peer states with comparable test performance, including roughly 400 more F-rated schools than Florida.

Part of the gap reflects North Carolina’s threshold — an 85 earns an A here, while Florida sets the same grade at 62. The A-F grading system is heavily dependent on test scores, with 80% based on proficiency and 20% based on year-over-year growth.

“We have a current system that doesn’t accurately reflect performance in our public schools,” Maher said.

Maher added that North Carolina could “easily lower the bar” to match the proficiency rates of peer states but has chosen not to, citing a neighboring state that had to overhaul its standards after its own tests overstated student performance compared to NAEP results.

Reading and math proficiency

Across North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students, about 55% scored at or above grade level on state tests in 2025, Maher said. Math performance is improving at most grade levels, while reading is not, and the state’s National Assessment of Educational Progress reading trend is “in the wrong direction” even as math performance is at or above the national average, he said.

Third-grade reading proficiency — the focus of the state’s multi-year Science of Reading investment — has not yet shown gains on end-of-grade exams. Maher also said the student population is “bifurcating”: top performers keep rising while bottom-end and middle students stay flat or decline.

Absenteeism and teacher preparation

Other data presented at the meeting underscored the depth of the challenges facing public schools. Chronic absenteeism — students missing 10% or more of the school year — sits at 26%. While that’s down from the pandemic peak of 32%, it remains nearly double the historical baseline of 15%.

“Let that settle,” Maher said. “Four-hundred thousand children out of 1.5 million were chronically absent.”

A separate facts-and-figures report distributed to commissioners by BestNC, a nonprofit education advocacy group, showed that 44% of new North Carolina teachers entered classrooms in 2025 designated as “unprepared,” up from 43% a year earlier. 

Brenda Berg, BestNC’s CEO and a member of the commission, said the increase is being driven by growing reliance on residency programs that draw from less-prepared candidate pools.

Funding tensions

Closing the day, Stein leaned on funding. He noted that North Carolina ranks 49th nationally in per-pupil spending and 51st when measured as a share of state economy. South Carolina, he said, invests $5,500 more per pupil and pays teachers $3,700 more on average. Stein cited a teacher he recently met who moved from South Carolina to North Carolina in 2000 because pay was better here — and is now considering moving back because the differential has reversed.

“We are acting like we are a poor state when we’re not,” Stein said.

The commission’s co-chairs framed the work differently earlier in the day.

“Improving education is not just about more money,” said co-chair Don Martin, who serves as chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. “It’s also about determining if our current investments are yielding the best possible results.”

Co-chair Anne Faircloth, a Sampson County farmer and business owner, called for “clear-eyed analysis” of investment results.”

“The business community is excited to be part of this unique moment to look at K-12 education with fresh eyes. It is my goal and my pledge to you that this work will produce meaningful actionable results,” she said.

Next steps

The commission’s 19 voting members are weighted toward the K-12 establishment. Thirteen are educators, with three each from business and higher education. Ten legislators from both parties serve as non-voting ex-officio members.

The first three working meetings will focus on teacher training and student advancement, followed by administrative operations and educational leadership in the fall. A final report is due in February 2027.

State Superintendent Mo Green’s “Best in Nation by 2030” goals — which include public-school enrollment growth as a tracked metric alongside graduation rates, AP performance, and NAEP scores — frame much of the commission’s data review. The next meeting is scheduled for May 18.

“NC schools commission begins work amid lagging proficiency” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.