Union County Board of Education approves $1,000 teacher supplement amid funding shortfall and public pressure

The Union County Board of Education unanimously approved a $1,000 annual supplement for all certified instructional staff Wednesday, retroactive to July 1, 2025.

The action, adopted from a finance committee recommendation, passed 9-0 after board members and district staff outlined how state and local funding decisions narrowed a prior request for a larger supplement and after a lengthy public comment period in which parents, teachers and students urged greater pay and clearer coordination with county leaders.

Dr. Andrew G. Houlihan, superintendent of Union County Public Schools, told the board that school systems in North Carolina receive funding from three primary sources: the federal government, the state and local government, and stressed that boards of education do not have taxing authority. "Boards of education rely on all 3 agencies to provide funding and do not control how much funding they receive," Houlihan said.

Houlihan and staff described the district—s May 2025 local funding request of $14,600,000, which included a $2,000 supplement proposal for teachers. The Board of County Commissioners…