The summer pause for the NC General Assembly rolls on and while there wasn’t any legislative action, news was still being made. On Monday, Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) told reporters that final passage of the state budget will not occur until after Labor Day. According to Moore, there are still a few dozen issues left to negotiate between the two chambers.
The veto override votes that were on the House calendar for Tuesday, August 15th have once again been rescheduled. HB219: Charter School Omnibus, HB 618: Charter School Review Board, and HB 574: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, have been pushed back one additional day to Wednesday, August 16th.
The Senate is slated to hold votes next Wednesday as well. SB 49: Parents’ Bill of Rights is still in the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. It is unclear when the override vote will occur.
The National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate in Charlotte WFAE-FM has been reporting on the increased numbers of students attending private schools and the decrease in the number of students served by public schools.
WFAE: NC Private School Enrollment Has Grown 24% in Four Years, New Data Show
WFAE: Analysis: North Carolina’s Public School Districts Serve A Shrinking Share of School Age Kids
This reporting must be considered against the backdrop of legislative actions this session. Both the House and Senate budgets contained a massive expansion of private school vouchers through the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Beyond the line items in the budget, the House has passed HB823: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future. That bill is now waiting to be taken up by the Senate.
More reporting by WFAE has uncovered an example of the type of fraud that is possible when voucher programs lack accountability.
WFAE: Charlotte’s Elusive Voucher School: Some Answers and Some Lingering Questions
WFAE: Charlotte Voucher School Evicted After Questions About Its Location and Founder
LEAD Training
Join NCSBA and your RESA for our new LEAD training program! The governmental relations team will be sharing a legislative update at each session. Also planned is governance training on a topic selected by the board chairs and superintendents in the region. NCSBA President Darrell Pennell will be on hand to present the Bell Award for whole-board achievement. For agenda and registration information, click here. Feel free to attend the session convenient for you.
Monday, August 14, 2-5 p.m. | Northeast Regional Education Service Alliance
Tuesday, August 15, 8-11 a.m. | Southeast Education Alliance
Thursday, August 17, 9-12 p.m. | Sandhills Region Education Consortium
Friday, August 18, 11-2 p.m. | Southwest Education Alliance
Thursday, August 31, 8-11 a.m. | Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance
Thursday, August 31, 4:30-7 p.m. | Piedmont-Triad Education Consortium
Wednesday, September 6, 8-11 a.m. | Northwest Regional Education Service Alliance
Thursday, September 7, 11-2 p.m. | Western Regional Education Service Alliance
