There’s a plan to increase pay for NC school social workers. Will state fund it?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Committee proposes master’s requirement for school social workers; seeks $10.9M.
- Policy aims to expand counseling, crisis intervention and Medicaid billing capacity.
- Funding gap and GOP-controlled legislature make statewide pay increases unlikely.
North Carolina education leaders have a plan to raise pay for school social workers, but it’s unlikely to be funded anytime soon.
The State Board of Education’s Whole Child NC Advisory Committee recommended last week requiring school social workers to have a master’s degree in social work — provided state lawmakers spend up to $10.9 million more per year to cover salary increases. The committee said increasing the requirements and the pay will provide more highly trained social workers to help address the growing mental health and social needs of students.
“When these children are helped and can return to a classroom, they are ready to learn, ready to engage, ready to think about math and reading and all the other things that we provide to them in schools and not where my next meal is coming from and am I going to be OK when I come home today,” said Patrick Greene, the 2022 North Carolina Principal of the Year and vice chair of the committee. “That is the value of what we are asking for and not the cost.”
The proposal was embraced by the state board, which has annually called for more state funding for social workers and other school support personnel. But getting state lawmakers to fund the increases has historically been a problem.
NC not meeting recommended ratios for social workers
Many North Carolina students lack access to a school social worker, especially in rural areas.
The nationally recommended ratio is one school social worker for every 250 students. But in 2024, the ratio in North Carolina was one social worker for every 995 students, according to the North Carolina chapter of the National Association of School Social Workers.
Greene offered statistics at last week’s state board meeting to demonstrate why more social workers are needed:
- One in five children live in food insecure households.
- One in five adolescents have seriously considered attempting suicide.
- One in 10 children aged 3-17 has a diagnosis of anxiety or depression.
- Over 50% of children ages 3-17 have reported difficulties accessing mental health treatment they need.
“These are the issues that our children and their families and our educators deal with today in our schools in our state,” Greene said. “And when our children do not have their basic needs met ... they cannot learn, they cannot focus, they cannot grow. So we have to address these issues, this serious health crisis that is facing each and every one of our schools today.”
Do schools need social workers?
Support for adding more school social workers is not universal. Some conservatives say it’s not the place of schools to provide mental health services to students.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration canceled $1 billion in federal school mental health grants, including $14.1 million for the Wake County school system.
On Thursday, a federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to halt an order requiring it to release the mental health grant money. North Carolina is not among the states that filed the lawsuit.
Several state board members and board advisers spoke at last week’s meeting about the benefits of school social workers.
“I cannot imagine running the school without a social worker or a nurse,” said Orange High School Principal Jason Johnson, the 2025 North Carolina Principal of the Year and a state board adviser. “I have students that come to school just to see the social worker and nurse.
“Once I get them in my building, then I can work on their attendance. But if they’re not showing up, I can’t work on their attendance.”
Requiring a master’s degree for social workers
North Carolina requires school social workers to have a bachelor’s degree in social work but not a master’s degree.
But Greene said the Whole Child NC Advisory Committee is recommending requiring a master’s degree because the additional training allows school social workers to provide more services.
Greene said a social worker with a bachelor’s degree can connect families with services while a person with a master’s degree can offer short-term counseling and provide direct, real-time crisis intervention.
In addition, Greene said, having a master’s degree allows a school social worker to bill Medicaid for services provided to students such as counseling. Medicaid pays $4 billion to $6 billion a year to school districts and is a large source of funding for some districts, according to Greene.
More than 60% of states already require school social workers to have master’s degrees, Greene said.
Most North Carolina school social workers only have a bachelor’s degree, especially since the state no longer pays them 10% extra for the advanced degree. A few school districts, including Wake County, are using local dollars to pay school social workers and teachers extra for having a master’s degree.
$10.9 million a year to pay social workers for master’s degrees
Greene said they can’t require the master’s degree in social work until they can persuade state lawmakers to restore the extra pay for the advanced degree.
“We do not have a problem producing master’s of social work people in the state of North Carolina,” Greene said. “What we have a real problem with is hiring those people in schools that do not pay competitive wages for people with a master’s in social work. Those people are going into private fields.”
Greene said it would cost $4.3 million a year for the state to pay the 650 school social workers who have a master’s degree. It would cost $10.9 million a year if all 1,650 social workers get master’s degrees.
If the money is provided, Greene said the committee recommends phasing in the new requirement over five years to allow those who don’t have a master’s degree to earn one. Additionally, he said schools can keep social workers who don’t get a master’s degree by giving them a different job.
“We know that this is going to be a very long journey,” Greene said. “This is not something that will change quickly. This is something that’s going to need a lot of thought, a lot of research, a lot of discussion and if chosen to implement, will take time to implement across the state.”
Will NC come up with the money?
Finding the money to pay social workers for having master’s degrees remains the big wild card.
A 2022 N.C. Supreme Court ruling in the Leandro school funding case ordered more money for items such as school social workers. But the plan and the funding were put on hold after Republicans gained a majority on the court.
In the absence of court intervention, the GOP-controlled state legislature would be the option to get the money. State board vice chair Alan Duncan said the question is how they can build momentum to get what they need to support students.
“You gave a great sermon,” Duncan told Greene. “I think you know you’re preaching to the choir. We’ve supported funding for master’s for social workers for many years.”
