North Carolina’s greatest strength is its people. When we invest in people, we invest in our future. Governor Stein has championed investments from early childhood education to K-12 education to set kids up for a lifetime of success, and he has brought employers and schools together to prepare workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

In 2025, the Stein administration:

Put Students First

  • Called on the North Carolina General Assembly to raise starting teacher compensation to the highest in the Southeast
  • Championed student access to high-quality public education with NC public schools achieving the highest graduation rate in history and the highest performance composite in three years
  • Established the Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-Being, which is already promoting student well-being by making classrooms cell phone-free zones
  • Created a summer school and after-school program for western North Carolina students who lost learning time due to Hurricane Helene
  • Worked with the General Assembly to allocate $115.3 million to repair school infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene
  • Supported NC College Connect providing direct college admission to students with a 2.8 GPA at select North Carolina colleges and universities
  • Launched PATH NC, a statewide digital system for social workers to serve foster children as they experience moves across counties
  • Established the Task Force on Child Care and Early Education, which is putting forward recommendations for expanding access to child care and lowering costs for families

Strengthened Our Workforce

  • Signed legislation making it easier for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and behavioral health professionals to practice in North Carolina
  • Registered more than 4,000 North Carolinians apprenticeship programs
  • Awarded nearly $250 million in broadband grants to get nearly 70,000 households and businesses connected to jobs and services
  • Established Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, which is connecting public schools, community colleges, and employers around a shared goal of offering North Carolinians good jobs with good wages that can support a family
  • Established the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Council to support the North Carolina teaching workforce
  • Established the Task Force on Child Care and Early Education, which is putting forward recommendations for expanding access to high-quality child care, lowering child care costs for families, and strengthening the early childhood education workforce
  • Partnered with 16 North Carolina institutions of higher learning to establish “Child Care Academies” that get people into the child care workforce faster – a task force recommendation

Supported Our Troops

  • Connected veterans to skills and job opportunities at NCWorks centers statewide
  • Signed legislation making it easier for veterans and military families to afford college tuition in the UNC System
  • Joined the “Do Your Part” initiative, launched by the national nonprofit Blue Star Families to promote policies and programs that support military families
  • Signed legislation helping military spouses transfer their professional licenses from out of state and easing the public school enrollment process for parents
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