The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is a left-of-center statewide teachers union in North Carolina. The union is an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers’ union in the United States and a national force in left-of-center politics. NCAE is comprised of public school teachers including K-12 educators and university professors. The union supports a variety of left-of-center and pro-union policies including minimum wage increases and Medicaid expansion, opposes the expansion of charter schools, and supports increased school funding and teacher salaries. ¹

The union endorses Democratic candidates for public office through its political-action arm, the NCAE Great Public Schools Fund. ²

Background

The North Carolina Association of Educators was established in its current form in 1970 amid desegregation in the South when the North Carolina Education Association, the association for white teachers, merged with the North Carolina Teachers Association, the association for African-American teachers. Both unions were formed in the 1800s and have been affiliated with the National Education Association since at least the time of the 1970 merger between the two unions. The union describes itself as an education advocacy organization with membership open to any professional public school employee in the state, although teaching assistants are organized under the North Carolina Educational Support Personnel Council, which is directly affiliated with the NEA. ³

As under North Carolina state law the NCAE does not engage in collective bargaining, most of its activity is related to training and political advocacy programs, including lobbying the state legislature on the union’s policy priorities and supporting left-of-center candidates for public office through its political action arm, the NCAE Great Public Schools Fund. ^{4 5}

Issue Stances

The North Carolina Association of Educators’ legislative priorities have included a variety of pro-union, anti-charter school, and other policies. Positions taken by the NCAE have included supporting a $15 minimum wage for teaching assistants and altering pay-scales for current and retired teachers based on graduate degrees and years of service. The NCAE has also supported Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, expanded healthcare and medical leave benefits for teachers, and supported the elimination of end-of-course testing and an elimination of the A-F grading system. ¹

The NCAE has also supported a variety of policies restricting the expansion and operation of charter schools. The union has called for a moratorium on increased funding for school choice, or “voucher programs,” and supports additional restrictions and requirements to be implemented on charter schools. ¹

Political Advocacy

The North Carolina Association of Educators endorses Democratic candidates for public office through its political action arm, the NCAE Great Public Schools Fund. ² In 2024, the union endorsed exclusively Democratic candidates for statewide office in North Carolina, including Josh Stein for Governor and Jeff Jackson for state Attorney General. ⁵

1. “2021 Legislative Priorities.” North Carolina Association of Educators. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dx2gXR2tIhE3ebRAFwurGnAD5VBiZHUy/view?usp=sharing
2. “The NCAE Great Public Schools Fund Endorses Four Pro-Public Education Statewide Candidates.” North Carolina Association of Educators. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.ncae.org/about-ncae/media-center/press-releases/ncae-great-public-schools-fund-endorses-four-pro-public-education-statewide-candidates
3. “Executive Director Job Posting: NCAE.” National Education Association. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/North%20Carolina%20Association%20of%20Educators%20Executive%20Director%20Position.pdf
4. “About NCAE.” North Carolina Association of Educators. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.ncae.org/about-ncae
5. “North Carolina Association of Educators Endorsements.” Blue Voter Guide. 2024. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://bluevoterguide.org/endorser-org/North_Carolina_Association_of_Educators/NC/695