Now is the time for all hands on deck! HB 219: Charter School Omnibus is scheduled for its first committee hearing next Tuesday, April 25, at 1:00 pm in the House Education K-12 Committee (click here for the meeting livestream). Part VII of HB 219 will take millions from local school districts each year. This includes reimbursements for federal programs provided to students, Pre-K classroom funds, tuition and fees for actual costs, sales tax refunds, and the list goes on. Meanwhile, charter schools can, and do, receive these same funds and will keep 100% of them – you can call this double dipping.

We strongly urge you to reach out to your House members and members of the House Education K-12 Committee to share your opposition to Part VII of HB 219. HB 219 is sponsored by Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Jason Saine, R-Lincoln.

Click here and here for fact sheets that include talking points and background information. Additionally, here is a resolution in opposition to HB 219 for your board to utilize and tailor to your specific district. So far, we know of at least 23 local school district resolutions in opposition to HB 219. Please email your district’s resolution to Rob Black at rblack@ncsba.org.

 

The General Assembly was bustling this week as the House scurried to meet its bill filing deadline and the Senate continued to draft its version of the budget. Over 200 House bills were filed just this week. Additionally, several important pieces of education-related legislation passed the House and the Senate.

HB 314: Conflict of Interest Training/LEAs – a bill involving ethics training for school administrators and a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda – passed the House, with no votes in opposition, and awaits consideration from the Senate.

The most contentious bills of the week were HB 574: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and SB 631: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which both passed their respective chambers. It was a straight party-line vote in the Senate, and in the House, three Democrats joined all Republicans to approve the bill. These bills require student athletes to compete under the biological gender listed on their birth certificate. Additionally, there was heavy debate in Senate committees on SB 692: Community College Governance, which strips away local school boards’ say in community college governance. Read more on these bills and other education-related bills below.

Education Bills Approved by Senate Committees

Statewide Bills

SB 692: Community College Governance (primary sponsors: Senators Amy Galey, R-Alamance; Todd Johnson, R-Union; Tom McInnis, R-Moore) had its first two committee hearings this week when the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee and the Senate Rules Committee approved the bill. SB 692 abolishes local board of educations’ authority to elect members to the board of trustees of the local community college. The bill changes appointments to the local boards of trustees by requiring eight members to be appointed by the NC General Assembly and four members to be elected by the county board of commissioners. Under current law, four members are elected by the local board of education, four are elected by the county board of commissioners, and four are appointed by the governor.

If SB 692 passes, it may create unnecessary tension between community colleges and school districts that currently serve in partnership to strengthen local workforce development efforts and early college enrollment. Click here for an official bill summary. Click here for an article on the bill, which includes committee discussion.

On Wednesday, SB 729: CBBC Working Group Changes (primary sponsors: Senators Jim Burgin, R-Harnett; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Carl Ford, R-Rowan) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Pensions and Retirement Committee approved the bill and referred it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. NCSBA had been in negotiations with the State Retirement System for roughly 18 months to improve the anti-pension spiking contribution-based benefit cap (CBBC) law. It was clear from the outset that we were not going to get all that we wanted.  However, SB 729 is the compromise both sides agreed to, which we believe is a significant improvement to the existing law. Click here to access NCSBA’s summary of SB 729. Click here for an official bill summary.

On Thursday, SB 582: North Carolina Farm Act of 2023 (primary sponsors: Senators Brent Jackson, R-Sampson; Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico; Buck Newton, R-Wilson) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved the bill and referred is to the Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 582 says that local boards of education must strive to ensure that 100% muscadine grape juice is made available to all students as a part of the nutrition program or through vending facilities. Click here for an official bill summary. This provision in SB 582 is similar to HB 67: Encourage Healthy NC Food in Schools. A primary difference is that HB 67 requires the supplier to buyback unopened and unexpired products, and SB 582 does not.

Education Bills that Passed the House

Statewide Bills

The House passed the following bills and sent them to the Senate.

• HB 38: Entry Fees for HS Interscholastic Events (primary sponsors: Representatives Reece Pyrtle, R-Rockingham; Jason Saine, R-Lincoln; Ben Moss, R-Richmond; Charles Miller, R-Brunswick)
  • Passed 106-8
  • Requires cash to be an accepted form of payment when there is a fee to attend a high school interscholastic athletic event
  • Prior to approval by the House Education K-12 Committee, the section requiring the acceptance of a senior citizen’s “Tar Heel Card” for free admission to high school interscholastic athletic events was removed
  • Click here for an official bill summary
• HB 188: Standards of Student Conduct(primary sponsors: Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; David Willis, R-Union; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland)
  • Passed 71-42
  • Similar to a 2021 billthat passed the House but was not taken up by the Senate
  • Requires LEAs to use best practices in developing discipline policies that do not discriminate against students on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability
  • Requires LEAs to include in their discipline policies measures that will be taken to support a student during suspension, including mitigating learning loss
  • Deletes language that gives examples of conduct not deemed to be a serious violation
  • Click here for an official bill summary
• HB 314: Conflict of Interest Training/LEAs (primary sponsors: Representative Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland; Donna White, R-Johnston; Joseph Pike, R-Harnett)
  • Passed 107-0
  • Requires all employees of a local school district who are involved in the making or administering of contracts to receive a minimum of two hours of conflicts of interest training within 90 days of assuming the responsibility of making or administering contracts and continuous training in every odd-numbered year thereafter
  • Prior to approval by the House Education K-12 Committee, the bill’s title was changed from “Public School Ethics Training” to “Conflict of Interest Training/LEAs” and small technical changes were made in the bill to reflect that title change
  • Click here for an official bill summary
  • This issue is included in NCSBA’s 2023-24 Legislative Agenda, and you can read more about in NCSBA’s Administrator Ethics Training Issue Brief

Local Bill

On Tuesday, HB 464: Beaufort County Local Matters (primary sponsor: Representative Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort) was amended in the House Local Government Committee to include a section authorizing Beaufort County Schools to use the Hillsdale College K-12 Curriculum in lieu of the statutory courses of study requirements in Part 1 or Article 8 of G.S. 115C. On Wednesday, that section was removed prior to House approval of the bill.

Education Bills that Passed the Senate

Statewide Bills

The Senate passed the following bills and sent them to the House.

• SB 384: Carbon Monoxide Detectors/School Buildings(primary sponsors Senators Michael Lee R-New Hanover, Amy Galey R-Alamance, Julie Mayfield D-Buncombe)
  • Passed 47-0
  • Studies the installation of carbon monoxide detectors and the implementation of radon testing in schools
  • Click here for an official bill summary

• SB 411: Students in House School Take PSAT/AP (primary sponsors: Senators Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus; Warren Daniel, R-Burke; Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell)
  • Passed 47-0
  • Allows home school students to participate in the PSAT, the PreACT, AP exams, and any other advanced course examination offered by a local school district if certain requirements are met
  • Prior to approval by the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee
    • The language allowing a school district to charge the home school student the cost of the test was replaced with a requirement to charge the cost of the test to the student’s parent
    • The requirement that a local school board must provide information on the registration for advanced exams for home school students at the request of a student or parent was removed
    • The PreACT was added to the list of exams
  • Click here for an official bill summary

Voucher Bills Filed

This week, two notable voucher bills were filed. HB 823: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future (primary sponsors: Representatives Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston; Tim Moore, R-Cleveland) is identical to SB 406, which Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, noted would be the “largest expansion of school choice” since the Opportunity Scholarship Program was founded 10 years ago. The primary sponsors of HB 823 include a chair and a vice chair of the House Education K-12 Committee, as well as House Speaker Tim Moore.

HB 823 provides vouchers for every family in the State. It replaces opportunity income requirements with a sliding scale based on household income as follows.

• A family of four with a household income of up to $55,500 (qualifying amount for free/reduced lunch) is eligible for a maximum voucher award of $7,213 in FY 2023-24 (100% of the average state per pupil allocation)
• A family of four with a household income of up to $111,000 is eligible for a maximum voucher award of $6,492 in FY 2023-24
• A family of four with a household income of up to $249,750 is eligible for a maximum voucher award of $4,328 in FY 2023-24
• A family of four with a household income of more than $249,750 is eligible for a maximum voucher award of $3,246 in FY 2023-24

HB 823 does not include stabilization funds for local school districts that will lose significant funding due to a reduction in average daily membership.

HB 667: Opportunity Scholarship Testing Requirements (primary sponsors: Representatives Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake) requires nonpublic schools accepting opportunity scholarship students to administer one of the five most common nationally standardized tests and requires the State Education Assistance Authority to maintain a list of those tests. This bill mirrors a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda. Click here to access NCSBA’s Opportunity Scholarship Program issue brief.

Fairness in Women’s Sports Bills

As previously stated, two bills titled “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” each passed their respective chambers. The following are summaries of each bill:

• HB 574: Fairnessin Women’s Sports Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Jennifer Balkcom, R- Henderson; Karl Gillespie, R-Macon; Erin Pare, R-Wake; Kristen Baker, R-Cabarrus)
  • Passed73-39
  • Prohibits biological male students from playing on middle school, high school, or collegiate athletics teams designated for females, women, or girls
  • Prohibits biological females from playing on middle school, high school, or collegiate athletics teams designated for males, men, or boys, unless there is no comparable female team, and the sport is not boxing (at the collegiate level) or wrestling
  • Creates a civil cause of action for students who are harmed as a result of a violation of the bill or who are retaliated against for reporting violations and for public school units (PSUs) that suffer harm as a result of following the requirements of the bill
  • Click here for an official bill summary
• SB 631: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act (primary sponsors: Senators Kevin Corbin, R-Macon; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Vickie Sawyer, R-Iredell)
  • Passed29-18
  • Prohibits biological male students from playing on middle or high school interscholastic or intramural teams designated for females, women, or girls
  • Creates a civil cause of action for students who are harmed as a result of a violation of the bill or who are retaliated against for reporting violations and for PSUs that suffer harm as a result of following the requirements of the bill
  • Click here for an official bill summary

Click here for an article on these bills.

Education Bills Approved by House Committee

Statewide Bills

• HB 28: Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2023 (primary sponsor: Representative Harry Warren, R-Rowan)

• Requires all State agencies, community colleges, and local school districts, to the extent economically practicable, to purchase and use materials with compostable or recyclable content in their food establishments

• • Requires local school districts to annually report on the amounts and types of materials with compostable and recyclable content purchased and on the amounts and types of materials collected for recycling
  • Approved by the House Regulatory Reform Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee
  • Click here for an official bill summary
• HB 500: NCCWBTC/Medicaid-Related Recommendations (primary sponsor: Representative Sarah Stevens, R-Surry)
  • Ensures increased awareness of school-based health services that are reimbursable under Medicaid
  • Approved by the House Health Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee
  • Click here for an official bill summary

Presentation to House Education K-12 Committee on Student Academic Gains

On Tuesday, the House Education K-12 Committee heard a presentation from DPI on recovery analysis showing that during the 2021-22 school year, NC students made significant gains in recovering from instructional time lost due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Signs of academic recovery are seen in almost every subject, with the most significant gains in middle and high school math. Click here for DPI’s press release on the presentation, which explains that some students were as much as 15 months behind where they would have been in a typical year, but this latest report shows clear signs of academic recovery. Click here for the 530-page analysis report. Click here for an article on the presentation.

 

Last Friday, April 14, Superior Court Judge James Ammons agreed with parties that $677 million remains to be appropriated for years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger previously claimed that the remaining appropriation is actually $377 million. Judge Ammons’ order is in response to a November 2022 directive by the then democrat-majority State Supreme Court to recalculate the transfer amount based on what funds were accounted for in the 2022 State budget. Not included in the order is a requirement that state officials transfer funds to comply with the Plan, as this action was blocked in March by the current republican-majority State Supreme Court.

The State Supreme Court is expected to act next on the Leandro case. Click here for the April 14 order. Click here and here for articles on the order.

 

The House public/statewide bill filing deadline was this past Tuesday, April 18, the Senate public/statewide bill filing deadline was earlier this month, and the local bill filing deadlines for both the House and the Senate were in March. The appropriations and finance bill filing deadline for the House is next Tuesday, April 25. The following are additional education-related bills that were filed this week and last week.

Statewide Bills

• HB 602: K-3 Class Size Waiver (primary sponsors: Representatives Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Rosa Gill, D-Wake)
  • Identical to SB 432
  • Allows a waiver on the class size requirements for k-3 grades when there is a shortage of qualified, licensed teachers available to teach in a grade level for the number of classrooms required at each school, and/or inadequate classroom space or facilities that would require facility expansion, construction, or relocation
• HB 605: School Threat Assessment Teams (primary sponsors: Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Requires public school units (PSUs) to adopt policies for establishing threat assessment teams in consultation with the policies developed by DPI’s Center for Safer Schools
  • Establishes peer-to-peer counseling in PSUs
• HB 609: Phoebe’s Law/Speed Measurement in School Zones (primary sponsors: Representatives Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland; Maria Cervania, D-Wake; Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)
  • Authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a pilot program installing speed enforcement cameras in 25 school zones across the State
  • Requires fines from the violations go to the School Technology Fund in an effort to pay the back monies owed to the Fund
  • Aligns with a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda

• HB 615: NC Highway Safety Act of 2023 (primary sponsors: Representative Maria Cervania, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg)
  • Authorizes DOT to establish a pilot program installing speed enforcement cameras in 25 highway work zones across the State
  • Requires fines from the violations go to the School Technology Fund in an effort to pay the back monies owed to the Fund
  • Aligns with a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda

• HB 618: Charter School Review Board (primary sponsors: Representatives Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Tim Moore, R-Cleveland; Destin Hall, R-Caldwell; David Willis, R-Union)
  • Similar to a section in the House Budget
  • Changes the Charter Schools Advisory Board to the Charter Schools Review Board
  • Gives the State Board of Education (SBE) an appellate role in the charter school approval and renewal process
  • Allows an applicant, charter school, or the State Superintendent to appeal a final decision of the Review Board to grant, renew, revoke, or amend a charter by submitting notice to the Chair of the SBE within 10 days of the Review Board’s decision
  • Requires the SBE to issue a written decision in any matter appealed under this section within 60 days

• HB 619: Learning AAPI Contributions in Schools (primary sponsors: Ya Liu, D-Wake; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson)
  • Starting in elementary school and ending in high school, requires all history courses to include instruction on Asian American and Pacific Islanders and their impact on American history

• HB 639: Railroad Safety Omnibus Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Mike Clampitt, R-Swain)
  • Requires additional training and safety measures related to school buses and railroad tracks for school bus drivers
• HB 640: Career Path Options Transparency Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Todd Johnson, R-Union; Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin; Steve Tyson, R-Craven; Erin Pare, R-Wake)
  • Enacts the Career Path Options Transparency Act
  • Requires the State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to collaborate with the Department of Commerce and Department of Labor in collecting data for local boards of education to provide sophomore students to enable them to make informed decisions about postsecondary education choices and their futures
  • Requires each local board of education to provide a program for students in their sophomore year with information contained on the “Know Before You Go” website and the information complied by DPI to allow students to make informed decisions about postsecondary education choices and their professional futures
• HB 646: Fines and Forfeiture/Payment to Schools (primary sponsors: Representatives Terence Everitt, D-Wake; Rosa Gill, D-Wake)
  • Directs excess receipts in the Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund to be transferred to the School Technology Fund in the same fiscal year and any capital funds for school technology to be used toward payment of the 2019 court judgements on civil penalties, fines, and forfeitures
  • Directs the Legislative Research Commission to study ways to satisfy the remainder for judgement
  • Aligns with a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda
• HB 653: Plant-Based Lunch Options (primary sponsors: John Autry, D-Mecklenburg; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford)
  • Requires public school units to offer a plant-based meal option as each school meal
• HB 672: Restores State Emp/Teacher Retiree Med Benefit (primary sponsors: Representatives Frances Jackson, D-Cumberland; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Ray Jeffers, D-Person; Charles Smith, D-Cumberland)
  • Prevents the elimination of retiree medical benefits for members first earning service under the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System
• HB 675: Health and High Performing Schools (primary sponsors: Representatives Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford; Zack Hawkins, D-Durham; Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
  • Enacts the North Carolina Health Schools Act of 2023
  • When economically feasible, requires public school units to establish a green cleaning policy and exclusively purchase and use environmentally sensitive cleaning products
  • Requires DPI, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services and a panel of stakeholders, to establish basic guidelines and specifications to healthy and environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products for use in school facilities
• HB 678: Excused Absences for 4-H Participation (primary sponsors: Representatives Wayne Sasser, R-Stanly; David Willis, R-Union; Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke)
  • Authorizes excused absences from public school for participation in 4-H activities or programs
• HB 686: Civil Rights Education (primary sponsors: Representatives Jon Hardister, R-Guilford; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; Amos Quick, D-Guilford)
  • Provides comprehensive civil rights education to every student in the State by requiring it to be included in the standard course of study
• HB 687: Clarify Vacancy Filling Partisan Bd. of Ed. (primary sponsor: Representative Jon Hardister, R-Guilford)
  • Clarifies the process to fill a vacancy on a local board of education elected using the partisan method of election
• HB 705: Build Safer Communities and Schools Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Vernetta Alston, D-Durham; Frances Jackson, D-Cumberland; Carolyn Logan, D-Mecklenburg; Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg)
  • Identical to SB 713
  • Allows schools to contract for psychologist services
  • Codifies school safety grants
• HB 716: Career Course for Middle Schools (primary sponsors: Representatives David Willis, R-Union; Destin Hall, R-Caldwell; Jake Johnson, R-Polk; Karl Gillespie, R-Macon)
  • Adds a career pathways course to the standard course of study
  • Requires the completion of career plans in schools
• HB 729: Add Segregation Score to School Report Cards (primary sponsors: Representatives Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Ashton Clemmons, D-Guilford; Allen Buansi, D-Orange)
  • Incorporates measures of proportionality and equality into state accountability models
• HB 730: Funds for the Expansion of NC Pre-K (primary sponsors: Representatives Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Ashton Clemmons, D-Guilford; Brandon Lofton, D-Mecklenburg)
  • Appropriates funds to expand access to participation in the NC Pre-K program
• HB 746: Oversight of Home Schools (primary sponsors: Representatives Marcia Morey, D-Durham; Rosa Gill, D-Wake; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
  • Requires annual notification of home school operation
  • Prohibits establishment of home school by individuals convicted of certain crimes
• HB 756: Standards Advisory Commission (primary sponsors: Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth)
  • Identical to a section in the House Budget
  • Creates the Standard Course of Study Advisory Commission to recommend academic standards to the State Board of Education for approval

• HB 758: Youth CERT Preparedness K-12 Training (primary sponsors: Representatives Maria Cervania, D-Wake; Carson Smith, R-Pender; Charles Miller, R-Brunswick; Caleb Rudow, D-Buncombe)
  • Provides for emergency preparedness education in schools
• HB 762: School Social Workers/Master’s Pay (primary sponsor: Representative Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Identical to SB 524
  • Provides that school social workers are eligible to receive education-based salary supplements regardless of whether a master’s degree is required for licensure
• HB 763: Limit School Counselor Ratios (primary sponsor: Representative Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Limits the number of students assigned to one school counselor
• HB 765: Public School Medical Assistants (primary sponsors: Representatives Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg; Frank Sossamon, R-Granville)
  • Establishes a pilot program for allowing school medical assistants to provide school nursing services in public schools under supervision of a certified school nurse
• HB 766: DPI to Control Pre-K Literacy Curriculum (primary sponsor: Representative Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Provides authority to the Department of Public Instruction to make decisions over all pre-kindergarten literacy curriculum including studies of dyslexia
• HB 767: Expanding Workforce and Education Act (primary sponsor: Representative Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Identical to SB 683
  • Expands North Carolina’s workforce by providing in-state tuition to North Carolina high school graduates who meet certain criteria
• HB 776: Free Lunch for Some Students/Stop Lunch Shame (primary sponsor: Representative Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford)
  • Appropriates funds to provide free lunch to students eligible for reduced-price lunch and enacts an anti-stigmatization and anti-discrimination policy in school nutrition
• HB 777: Universal No-Cost School Meals (primary sponsors: Representatives Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford; John Autry, D-Mecklenburg; Amos Quick, D-Guilford; Rosa Gill, D-Wake)
  • Provides breakfast and lunch in public schools at no cost to students through an allocation based on school food authority evaluations
• HB 780: State ID Cards of High School Students (primary sponsors: Representatives Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg; John Torbett, R-Gaston; Ray Pickett, R-Watauga)
  • Establishes a pilot program to issue Real ID compliant special identification cards to students in public high schools in Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union counties
• HB 786: Youth Health Protection Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort; Mark Brody, R-Union; Neal Jackson, R-Moore)
  • Protects minors from administration of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and other related actions, procedures, and treatments to prohibit obscenity on smart phones for minors
• HB 793: Public School Open Enrollment (primary sponsors: Representatives John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg; Allen Chesser, R-Nash)
  • Allows students to attend any school within the local school administrative unit in which the student is domiciled
• HB 799: Local Government Audits (primary sponsors: Representatives Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin; Mitchell Setzer, R-Catawba; Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth)
  • Requires that annual audits of local government and local school administrative units be conducted by an accountant certified by the state auditor
  • Appropriates funds to the council of state governments to assist local governments with financial record keeping
• HB 800: Public School Part-Time Enrollment (primary sponsors: Representatives John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Terry Brown, D-Mecklenburg; Allen Chesser, R-Nash)
  • Requires local school administrative units and charter schools to allow part-time enrollment of students that otherwise attend non-public school
• HB 802: Biannual Back to School Sales Tax Holiday (primary sponsors: Representatives Maria Cervania, D-Wake; Garland Pierce, D-Scotland; Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson)
  • Reenacts the sales and use tax holiday for school supplies and extends the holiday to the first weekend in January
• HB 806: Protect School Journalists (primary sponsors: Representatives Tim Longest, D-Wake; Diamond Staton-Williams, D-Cabarrus; Allen Buansi, D-Orange; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
  • Clarifies the free speech rights of student journalists in public schools, constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina, and community colleges
• HB 824: Teacher License Reciprocity from Every State (primary sponsors: Representatives Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes)
  • Grants a continuing professional license to any teacher licensed in another state
• HB 825: Teaching Fellows Expansion (primary sponsor: Representative Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)
  • Studies expansion of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program
• HB 833: Increase Minority Male Teachers/Program Study (primary sponsors: Representatives Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford)
  • Appropriates funds to study and report on programs focused on increasing minority male teachers

 

The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.

April 17, 2023, Weekly Report

Headlines for this edition include:

• Education Department Proposes New Rules for Transgender Athletes Under Title IX
  • Earlier this week, the Education Department proposed a rule that would establish that policies violate Title IX when they categorically ban transgender students from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity just because of who they are
  • The proposed rule also recognizes that in some instances, particularly in competitive high school and college athletic environments, some schools may adopt policies that limit transgender students’ participation
  • The proposed rule would provide schools with a framework for developing eligibility criteria that protects students from being denied equal athletic opportunity, while giving schools the flexibility to develop their own participation policies
  • There is a 30-day public comment period before the rule is finalized
    • To provide a comment, click here
  • Education Department Produces Guidelines on Health Records
    • New guidelines have been published to help school officials protect students’ health information
    • The document provides general information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), with a particular focus on student health records maintained by educational agencies and institutions and by third parties acting on their behalf

Additional national news:

• US House Passes Transgender Athlete Ban
  • The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed legislation that would ban transgender athletes who identify as female from competing in women’s sports
  • The Protection of Women & Girls in Sports Act, sponsored by Representative Greg Steube (R-FL), amends Title IX to bar schools from receiving federal funding if they allow people “whose sex is male” to participate in women’s sports
  • The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth”
  • The legislation is not expected to be considered by the Democratic-controlled Senate

 

The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.

State News

• BestNC – Facts & Figures of Education in North Carolina
• Carolina Journal – ‘Media advisory’ boards would review complains over certain books in schools
• EdNC – CEOs push for higher teacher pay, more NC Pre-K funding
• Carolina Journal – Head of NC teachers group drops lawsuit challenging Opportunity Scholarships
• EdNC – Kimberly Jones of Chapel Hill named NC’s 2023 Teacher of the Year
• EdNC – The ‘transformation is real’ as the science of reading takes hold across public schools
• WRAL – As shootings and threats rise, NC forms parent group on school safety
• WRAL – Audit finds state reporting errors for NC schools’ pandemic funds
• EdNC – Governor Cooper Proclaims April as STEM Education Month in North Carolina
• EdNC – State Advisory Council on Indian Education calls for department-level position, removal of mascots
• EdNC – Perspective: School meal debt has no place in North Carolina

National News

• Brookings – Racial disparities in the high school graduation gender gap
• Pew Research Center – School District Mission Statements Highlight a Partisan Divide Over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in K-12 Education
• Education Week – Students Want to Feel Safe at School. Here’s What They’re Asking for
• Education Week – Schools Used ESSER Funds for After-School Programs. What Happens When the Money Runs Out?
• K-12 Dive – 6 budget considerations for districts as ESSER fiscal cliff looms
• Fox News – North Carolina GOP move on school choice with new supermajority after Dem’s stunning party switch

 

Tuesday, April 25

9:00 am – House Finance – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)

• HB 162: Living Donor Protection Act.

1:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)

• HB 23: Gooru Contract.
• HB 185: Clarifying Sex Ed Time Frame.
• HB 219: Charter School Omnibus.
• HB 432: Principal Licensure Changes.
• HB 531: Charter Sch. Tuition – Out-of-State Students.
• HB 605: School Threat Assessment Teams.
• HB 618: Charter School Review Board.
• HB 756: Standards Advisory Commission.
• HB 780: State ID Cards for High School Students.

 

 

 

Bruce Mildwurf
Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
bmildwurf@ncsba.org

Rebekah Howard
Advocacy Coordinator
NC School Boards Association
rhoward@ncsba.org

Madison Skeens
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
mskeens@ncsba.org

Rob Black
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
rblack@ncsba.org