Inside the Numbers:

• • 21 – New laws (so far)
    • 7 modified elections laws or terms of office (2 this week)
    • 3 technical/conforming laws impacting the retirement system
    • 3 overrides (this week)
    • 1 constitutional amendment (this week) to go before the voters
  • 29 – Bills currently sitting on the Governor’s desk awaiting action
    • 26 were sent to the Governor this week

Notable Bills:

One of the more notable bills on the Governor’s desk is SB 332: 2023 Appropriations Act Changes. This must become law for school employees to get their pay increases beginning July 1, 2024. As was pointed out in last Friday’s NCSBA Legislative Update, the budget from last year included intent language for the second year raises. SB 332 authorizes the raises. Just in time, this bill passed the General Assembly Thursday afternoon. It provides:

• • Beginning teacher pay at $41,000
  • Average 3% increase for employees on the Teacher Salary Schedule
  • 3% increase for all other school employees
  • Principal bonuses

The General Assembly also passed SB 357: Adjustments to the Appropriations Act legislators approved $67.5 million for child care programs after federal funding expired. Following the expiration of federal funding, this bill aims to stabilize the child care industry as potential closures loom. The bill now goes to Governor Cooper.

What Didn’t Pass?

Additional funds for Opportunity Scholarships are one of the notable items that did not pass both chambers before adjournment. That said, SJR 916: Adjournment Resolution provides both chambers with the option to return to Jones Street every month during 2024, including twice in July, to consider a variety of items.

Another bill that was not taken up by the House after it passed the Senate last week is HB 207: Discipline Changes. Among other things, this bill entitled students in 9th grade or above to appeal short-term suspensions lasting five or more days.

Neither the House nor Senate bills that proposed to adjust the second year of the budget (outlined in last week’s Update) received even a single hearing in the other chamber. Meaning, both the Senate and House have adjourned and gone home without a full budget adjustment agreement.

The outcomes of other education-related bills and details on the adjournment resolution are further down in the update.

• HB 44/SB 137: Const. Amendment/ Repeal Literacy Test
• SB 356: Constitutional Amendment/Photo ID
• HB 74: Constitutional Amendment/COS Vacancies
• SB 630: Various Constitutional Amendments: Maximum Tax Rate on Incomes Cannot Exceed Five Percent (& Photo ID)

The Carteret County School Board voted today to drop its appeal against the state school calendar law and approve a compliant start and end date for the upcoming school year. Without wavering in their position that the calendar law is unconstitutional, the board did not make this decision lightly, citing a desire to avoid keeping students and their families in limbo over when school starts. To read more from a local article, click here.

S332: 2023 Appropriations Act Changes

• • Provides beginning teacher pay at $41,000.
  • Provides an average 3% increase for employees on the Teacher Salary Schedule.
  • Provides a 3% increase for all other school employees.
  • Provides principal bonuses.
  • Defines the supplanting factor for each local school administrative unit as the lesser of the following:
    • The total non-State funds expended for salary supplements for teachers in the 2020-2021 fiscal year divided by the total State and non-State funds expended for salaries for teachers in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
    • The total non-State funds expended for salary supplements for teachers in the 2021-2022 fiscal year divided by the total State and non-State funds expended for salaries for teachers in the 2021-2022 fiscal
  • If the State Board of Education finds a unit has supplanted non-State funds, the unit will only continue to receive State funds if it has remedied the deficiency in funding.

HB 250: Public Safety/Other Changes  (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Dean Arp R-Union)

• • Section 5 grants local boards of education the authority to acquire utility easements for school facilities through eminent domain.
  • Effective July 1, 2024.

HB 900: Certain CIHS Partners/Regulate Tobacco Prod. (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Erin Paré, R-Wake; Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Ya Liu, D-Wake; Maria Cervania, D-Wake)

• • Requires the State Board of Education to approve the substitute of a new partner higher education institution for the Wake Young Men’s and Women’s Leadership Academies, no later than the 2025-2026 school year.
  • Allows Wake Young Men’s and Women’s Leadership Academies to maintain their cooperative innovative high school statuses.
  • A Senate amendment adds an extensive section about tobacco regulation. No impact on school boards.

Local Bills Passed into Law:

HB 1064/S.L.2024-14: Various Local Provisions III.

• • Section 5 aligns the elections for the Jackson County Board of Education with general elections. The Jackson Board of Education would be eligible to revise the residency districts in 2030 if deemed advisable.
  • Section 7 requires that six members of the Polk County Board of Education all be elected from single-member residency districts and one member be elected from the county at-large. All candidates would still be voted on by all eligible voters in the county and the residency districts would remain the same.
  • Section 10 states that vacancies on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education will be filled in accordance with G.S. 115C-37.1, which requires the Board in most cases to consult with the county executive committee of the vacating member’s political party, and appoint that committee’s nominee, if the recommendation is made within 30 days after the seat becomes vacant.

SB 912/S.L.2024-13: Elections Changes for Watauga Ed & County Bds (Primary Sponsor: Senator Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell)

• • Alters elected terms for the Watauga County Board of Education so that all five elected Board members serve staggered four-year terms, including the top three candidates in the 2024 election.
  • Creates electoral districts for the Watauga County Board of Education that will be the same as those for the Watauga County Board of Commissioners.
  • Requires that one Board member residing in each district will be elected only by qualified voters also residing in that district.

Passed Both Chambers & Awaiting Compromise:

S90: Schools for the Deaf and Blind Transition

• • Clarifies that schools for the deaf and blind are independent State agencies, establishes certain immunities and funding, clarifies the appeals process for admissions, and outlines intent to establish funding for administrative costs.

Did Not Pass the House:

H38: Education Omnibus Changes (Primary Sponsors: Representatives A. Reece Pyrtle, R-Rockingham; Jason Saine, R-Lincoln; Ben T. Moss, R-Richmond; Charles W. Miller, R-Brunswick)

• • Original House bill required that cash be accepted as a form of payment for admission fees to interscholastic athletic activities.
  • The following are amendments added in the Senate:
  • Allows Dare Early College High School and Rockingham County CTE Innovation High School to operate as cooperative innovative high schools.
  • Expands eligibility for forgivable loans under the NC Teaching Fellows Program to include students enrolled in educator preparation programs during the 2023-2024 academic year.

HB 207: Discipline Changes (Introduced by: Senator Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson)

• • Requires the principal or designee at the informal hearing to provide the student facing discipline with detailed, written documentation of the specific section of the Code of Student Conduct that was violated.
  • Entitles a student in 9th grade or above to appeal a short-term suspension lasting five or more days if the request is made within 14 days of the principal’s decision.
  • Permits any short-term suspension to be expunged for a student in 9th grade or above if certain criteria are met.

HB 563: Hemp-Derived Consumables/Con Sub Changes (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Jeffrey McNeely, R-Iredell; Wayne Sasser, R-Stanly; Tracy Ann Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson)

• • Requires local boards of education to adopt a written policy prohibiting the use of hemp-derived consumable products on any school properties and at school-sponsored events.

HB 237/S.L.2024-16: Various Criminal and Election Law Changes

• • Senate overrode the veto 30-14.
  • House overrode the veto 70-46.
  • To review Governor Roy Cooper’s Veto Message from June 21, click here.
  • Modifies the health and safety exemption from certain laws prohibiting the wearing of certain face coverings in public and enhance the criminal punishment if the defendant wears a mask to conceal their identity during the commission of a crime.
  • Restructures the reporting requirements for contributions made to candidate campaign committees and political committees in NC by federal political committees and other political organizations.

HB 834/S.L.2024-17: Juvenile Justice Modifications

• • Senate overrode the veto 30-14.
  • House overrode the veto 70-46.
  • To review Governor Coopers Veto Message from June 14, click here.
  • Section 4 prohibits principals from having automatic suspension policies and requires them to make decisions on a case-by-case basis during a student’s pending delinquency status.

• HELP Committee Examines Challenges Facing Public School Teachers: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to discuss the short and long-term issues public school teachers are facing, including low pay, teacher shortages, and underfunding. Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) argued that quality education for all is necessary for a “bright and hopeful future for our country.” He subsequently pointed out that teachers “have been overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and maybe most importantly, underappreciated.” In addition to higher pay, teachers and other witnesses pointed to the critical need for further resources, including better teacher preparation, classroom conditions, and curricula.
• Budget and Appropriations Wrap-Up: The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill is scheduled for action on Thursday, June 27^th, but the controversial bill has been frequently rescheduled in the past, so a delay could ensue. It’s expected that when the bill is marked up, worrisome cuts to education are likely.

Click here to read more about these topics and others in the June 24 report.

State News
Associated Press: North Carolina legislators leave after veto overrides, ballot question, unfinished business
EducationNC: On the record with Superintendent Catherine Truitt: ‘I have zero regrets’
News & Observer: Spending plan without extra raises passes NC Senate, as budget deal eludes GOP
WRAL: NC students: The teacher shortage hurts us
News & Observer: Targeting vaping ‘epidemic,’ NC lawmakers could remove hundreds of products from stores
WFAE: House bill would let a politically connected charter school open without state review
WRAL: Wake Schools’ leadership academies would keep special status under changed NC Senate bill
NC DPI Press Release: New Program Will Create Job Opportunities in Drone Industry for NC High School Graduates
WRAL: Durham Public Schools redistricting plan praised as step toward equity
NC Health News: Communities across N.C. work to curb suicides amid worsening mental health crisis
Public School Forum of North Carolina:      Brief | Opportunity Scholarships and the schools that receive them
ABC 13 News: Nearly 70% of North Carolina fourth graders lack reading proficiency, study finds
Wilmington StarNews: Candidates for NC governor face off on key topics during Wilmington Power Breakfast
Associated Press: North Carolina governor vetoes masks bill largely because of provision about campaign finance
WRAL: ELIZABETH PAUL & MARY ANN WOLF: Are vouchers school choice or schools’ choice?
News & Observer: Wake will lower its high school graduation requirements. But it wasn’t their call.

National News
The 74: 5 Ways to Embrace Advanced Learning Programs & Make Them Available to More Kids
K-12 Dive: Senate education committee debates federal role in boosting teacher pay
The Hechinger Report: PROOF POINTS: This is your brain. This is your brain on screens
K-12 Dive: Republican FY 25 plan would cut education funding by $11B
Inside Higher Ed: Title IX Legal Challenges Target LGBTQ+ Protections
K-12 Dive: SIIA warns schools and ed tech to prepare for costly, time-consuming Title II compliance
K-12 Dive: Oklahoma Supreme Court blocks nation’s 1st religious public charter school
New York Times: Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible
EducationWeek: Supreme Court Case on Transgender Youth Medical Care May Impact Schools
K-12 Dive: USDA’s updated nutrition standards will cost school districts $206M annually
National Center for Education Statistics: Report on the Condition of Education 2024

• For Spanish-speaking families and students in your county: The Hispanic Federation (HF) recently announced a Health Hotline, called NC Salud, to assist the Spanish-speaking community in NC in accessing health care coverage information. As HF describes it, “the vital service is available to provide accessible, reliable, and culturally sensitive health information and support to Spanish-speaking individuals and families who want to learn more about Medicaid in North Carolina and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).” The hotline number is 1-844-438-6827. To learn more, click here.
• How districts can keep high-impact tutoring going as ESSER funds expire: To learn about using other funds and services from AmeriCorps, the US Department of Education, and more, click here.

• • July 10
  • July 29 – August 1
  • September 9 – 11
  • October 9
  • November 19 – 22
  • December 11.

Excluding the November 19-22 session, only bills related to vetoes, litigation, appointments, elections, and other specific matters can be taken up. During the November session, bills affecting the state budget, constitutional amendments, local bills filed by May 7, 2024, and other topics will be eligible for discussion and action.