This Week at the Legislature

While the sun was shining bright outside the legislative building this week, it felt like the calm before the storm inside the building. Few committees met and not much happened in public view, but something is definitely brewing off in the distance. While the House passed its version of the State budget several weeks ago, the Senate is expected to present its version of the budget next week. Senate appropriations subcommittees will meet to review their portions of the budget on Tuesday, and subcommittee reports will be rolled together and sent to the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget committee. Senate floor votes are expected on Thursday and Friday.

The NCSBA Governmental Relations team plans to email special alerts throughout the week as we learn more about the Senate budget.

One bill of note that was filed this week and is already scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor next week is SB 674: Surry Co./Mt. Airy/Elkin City/Bd. Ed Partisan, sponsored by Senators Berger (R-Rockingham) and Ballard (R-Watauga). The bill would change the local board of education elections for Surry County, Mount Airy City, and Elkin City from nonpartisan to partisan. By our count, the current number of partisan boards in the State is 35.

The Program Evaluation Committee (PED) also received a brief presentation on the North Carolina Should Focus on Early Childhood Learning in Order to Raise Achievement in Predominantly Disadvantaged School Districts report. The report recommends:

• requiring low performing school districts to include an early childhood improvement plan as a component of their required plans for improvement; and
• requiring an assessment of early childhood learning as part of the Department of Public Instruction’s comprehensive needs assessment process for districts.

Draft legislation to be presented to the General Assembly was presented to the committee and will be voted on at their June meeting.

To view all materials on this report please click here.

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