Budget deal outlined + Details on raises and bonuses for state workers, teachers

Good morning! Welcome to Under the Dome, your daily dose of political news delivered straight to your inbox. I’m legislative and lobbying reporter Esther Frances.

After nearly a year of waiting, state Senate and House Republican leadership announced movement on the state’s overdue budget.

House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger, both Republicans, announced an outline for the budget deal that includes raises and bonuses for teachers and state employees.

The two last year could not agree on raises, or on tax cuts.

Here are some of the details on pay for state workers and teachers:

• An average 8% raise for teachers.
• Starting teacher pay would be set at $48,000 without counting local supplements.
• Teachers with more than 16 years of experience would receive a $1,000 bonus.
• Other experienced teachers with fewer years of service would get $500.
• A 3% raise for state employees.
• Employees making less than $65,000 a year would receive a $1,750 bonus on top of the raise.
• Employees making more than that would receive a $1,000 bonus.
• A 20.3% raise for State Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Law Enforcement officers.
• Local law enforcement officers would receive a $1,750 bonus.

More work on the budget is needed, but Berger said the outline is a starting point.

Substance treatment center rebuts allegations

In a newsletter last week, I wrote about a $584,143 settlement between N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office and a Greensboro-based substance use disorder treatment center.

Crossroads Treatment Center of Greensboro was alleged to have submitted false claims to Medicaid, according to the office.

In a statement, the treatment center said the settlement “includes no admission of wrongdoing and there are no allegations related to the quality of the patient care provided by Crossroads.”

Jackson’s office alleged that between 2019 and 2023, Crossroads submitted claims for urinary drug testing to Medicaid without allowing for physicians to choose a lower-level version of the test, “resulting in more complex testing than was medically necessary.”

Crossroads said it was fully cooperative with the state’s review of urinary testing.

The Greensboro clinical laboratory voluntarily closed in 2024, unrelated to the allegations, according to Crossroads.

The center’s general counsel and chief compliance officer, Meggan Bushee, said the center stands by its billing and coding practices.

“Our Board has determined that Crossroads’ continued defense in this matter is diverting too many resources from our top priority: saving lives amid this country’s rapidly expanding opioid crisis,” she said.

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Thanks for reading

That’s all for now! Have a great day, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Budget deal outlined + Details on raises and bonuses for state workers, teachers."

Esther Frances

The News & Observer

Esther Frances covers politics, the state legislature and lobbying for The News & Observer.