Legislative Public Policy Conference
The NCSBA Legislative Public Policy Conference is scheduled for next week on April 30 and May 1 in Raleigh at the NCSBA building.
Click the agenda button below to view our modified conference schedule.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CONFERENCE AGENDA
The registration rate is $325. Click here to register.
House Budget
There are 36 special provisions in the public education section of the budget. Many of them are repeated from year to year, deal directly with operations within DPI, or follow the money in the money report.
- Click here for the House Appropriations, Education special provisions report.
- Click here for the House Appropriations, Education money report.
The Education, Appropriations committee is currently meeting, but we do not believe that any additional amendments will have substitutional effect on the education budget.
Click here to see our money report summary. Below are short summaries of the special provisions that we believe are particularly important to local boards of education.
H20 (pgs. 29-30)
- Creates a definition of a public school as a local school administrative unit, a charter school, a regional school, or a school providing elementary or secondary instruction operated by the State Board of Education (SBE) or the University of North Carolina
- Requires an annual census of school resources officers by the Center for Safer Schools – a report shall be based on the census and submitted to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and SBE by March 1
H28 (pgs. 34-35)
- Only allows changes in school calendar to be adopted when addressing severe weather, energy shortage, utility failure, public health or school safety crisis, school building or transportation emergency, or act of God
- Allows teacher personal leave days to be transferred between LEAs
- Restricts the use of teacher personal leave days to only be granted if requested at least five days in advance with a confirmed substitute
The following N&O article explains how this provision is an effort by lawmakers to ban future teacher rallies.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article229714994.html
H15A (pgs. 41-43)
- Establishes the UpStart Virtual Early Learning pilot program (i.e. virtual pre-k)
- SBE will contract with a third-party organization with experience in home-based educational technology programs for preschool-age children
- SBE will select up to ten LEAs to participate
- Child eligibility: four years old on or before August 31 of the program year and at-risk
- SBE will make a report on the program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by November 30 during each year of the pilot program
H25 (pgs. 44-45)
- SBE shall approve no fewer than three K-3 assessment instruments designed by no fewer than three vendors for selection by LEAs (the current requirement is one)
- The State Superintendent’s Evaluation Panel shall select the vendors by August 1, 2019
H41 (pgs. 47-54)
- Defines unfit instructional materials as “(i) obscene, (ii) inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the students, or (iii) not aligned with the standard course of study
- Requires LEAs to evaluate and adopt instructional and supplemental materials/textbooks (previously done by the state) and maintain an instructional materials repository
- Allows parents to withhold their consent to students’ participation in health and safety programs
- (this provision contains the same language as House Bill 315, which has passed the House)
H34 (pg. 55)
- Calculates school performance grades using 51% school achievement score and 49% school growth score
- Reinstates the 15-point grading scale for school performance grades
H36A (pgs. 56-58)
- Expands funds in the State Public School Fund (SPSF) for classroom teachers to include program enhancement (PE) teachers for grades K-12
- With remaining funds in SPSF the SBE shall set teacher to student ratios for class size in grades 4-12
- Adds dual language immersion for certain classes to the definition of “program enhancement”
- Modifies allotment ratio to one PE teacher per 140 students
H18 (pg. 59)
- Requires LEAs to publish a schedule of fees, charges, and solicitations approved by the LEA on their website by October 15 of each school year
H19 (pgs. 61-62)
- SBE may approve up to four cooperative innovative high school applications that request additional funds – SBE shall prioritize LEAs that currently do not have a cooperative innovative high school
H43 (pgs. 67-68)
- Allots $145.00 to each eligible classroom teacher as of January 1 each year for the purchase of classroom supplies – the $15 million of nonrecurring funds will cover six months of the year
Education Bills Passed by the House and Sent to the Senate
HB 434: Suicide Risk Referral/Mental Health/Teen Violence
- Primary Sponsors: Horn, R-Union; Cunningham, D-Mecklenburg; Murphy, R-Pitt; White, R-Johnston
- This bill would require LEAs, charter, regional, innovative, laboratory, and renewal schools to adopt and implement a suicide risk protocol, a mental health training program, and a policy against teen dating violence and abuse.
- Passed 105-1
HB 493: Abuse & Neglect Resources
- Primary Sponsors: White, R-Johnston; Horn, R-Union
- This bill would require public schools to provide students with information and resources regarding child abuse and neglect.
- Passed 106-2
HB 521: Transitional License/Teacher from Other State
- Primary Sponsors: Clemmons, D-Guilford; Horn, R-Union; Riddell, R-Alamance; Gailliard, D-Nash
- This bill would provide a three-year transitional license for out-of-state teachers, authorize LEAs to determine experience credit for those teachers, and modify the requirements for a lifetime license.
- Passed 108-0
HB 563: 30 Minute Duty-Free Lunch for Teachers
- Primary Sponsor: Torbett, R-Gaston
- This bill would provide a minimum of thirty minutes of duty-free lunch time for teachers to the extent possible.
- Passed 107-2
HB 653: School Transportation Personnel Salary Changes
- Primary Sponsor: Torbett, R-Gaston
- This bill would direct the State Board of Education to reclassify and establish positions related to school transportation and provide LEAs with additional information on the cost of salary revisions for transportation personnel.
- Passed 108-0
Bill on NCSBA’s Agenda
House Bill 986: Restore LEA Sales Tax Benefit
- Primary Sponsors: Lofton, D-Mecklenburg; Ross, R-Alamance; Meyer, D-Orange
- This bill would restore the sales tax refund authorized for local school administrative units.
Click here to read our issue brief on Sales Tax Refund.
April 29 – May 3 Legislative Meeting Calendar
Tuesday, April 30
9:00 am – Senate: Rules and Operations – Legislative Building, rm 1027/1128 (audio)
1:00 pm – House: Education K-12 – Legislative Office Building, rm 643 (audio)
- HB714: Competency-Based Assessments
- HB723: Math or Science Credit for Computer Science
- HB798: Low-Performing Schools
- HB859: Classroom Supplies to Teachers
- HB895: Opportunity Gap Task Force
- HB924: Teacher Contract Changes
- HB933: Study Career/College Readiness in Performance Grades
Wednesday, May 1
11:00 am – Senate: Education/Higher Education – Legislative Building, rm 1027/1128 (audio)
- SB291: Modify Teacher Licensing Requirements
- SB354: Student Notice/Charter School Closure/Restructuring
- SB366: 9th/10th Grade/College Transfer Pathways
- SB448: Amend Appt for Compact on Education/Military
- SB500: Modify Advanced Math Course Enrollment
Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6686
Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6692
Richard Bostic
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6677
Rebekah Howard
Governmental Relations Research Specialist
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6688