| The State Board of Education held their August monthly meeting at the Department of Transportation, but there was no discussion of buses or school zones. Presentations were limited in number, but topics ranged widely from recommendations on high school athletics and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) to Pre-K students now counting towards a principal’s salary. The State Superintendent, Catherine Truitt, also presented statewide student reading data (Spoiler Alert: Students are making major gains at every level and demographic). Other notable topics in this update include major allotment policy changes and alterations to testing criteria for Multilanguage Learners.
Approved Items: (All items that were put to a vote passed unanimously)
2024-2025 Allotment Policy Manual: The Board approved modifications and amendments to the NC Public Schools Allotment Manual. Notably, in the event that the State Board appoints an interim superintendent to lead a school district, the Board may direct DPI to reduce the Central Office Administration allotment to cover the interim superintendent’s salary and benefits. This reduction is not to exceed the annual total compensation for the most recent superintendent for that school district, regardless of funding source. This change is in accordance with State Board policy DSTR-041. Click here to view the presentation and here for the manual with changes. Allotment manual modifications will continue over the next few months.
Policies, Laws, and Guidelines Governing School Attendance: The Board approved state-mandated amendments to the School Attendance and Student Accounting Manual (see here). Some changes include:
- Beginning in January 2025, Pre-K students will count towards ADM when calculating principal pay if the school’s student population is 300 or more. These students are not being added to the school’s ADM totals for funding (Chapter 5). Pre-K ADM will be brought back to the SBE for further policy consideration in late fall.
- Revisions to the new Student Information System (SIS) (Appendix D).
- Clarification of the process for withdrawing a student of compulsory attendance age (Chapter 3).
- Removal of items related to NC Discipline and Data Reporting (they can now be found in the separate NC Discipline Data and Reporting and Procedures manual under the Center for Safer Schools).
View the full presentation here.
USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Grant: North Carolina has been awarded more than $5.7 million to be distributed among 212 elementary schools for the 2024-25 school year. The program is intended to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables students are exposed to and increase students’ overall consumption of healthy food. The Board hopes this program will also increase community engagement by connecting local farms with schools. View more information here.
Personnel Salaries and Manual: The Board approved updates to the NC Public School Personnel Salary Schedules (see here) and Manual (see here). Notably, the manual clarifies that when an employee is suspended with pay and the suspension results in a loss of their educational license, the salary amount that was expended during suspension must be paid using local funds. The Board also approved updates to the personnel salary schedules that were enacted with the passage of SB 332. View the full presentation here.
State Board Chairman’s Update on Weldon City Schools: The Chairman of the Board provided two documents related to the Weldon City Board of Education. The first is the State Board of Education’s notice to the Weldon City Board of Education of the reasons they are considering suspending the Weldon City Board’s duties. The second outlines their motion to withhold funds from the Central Office Administration allotment for Weldon City to fund the appointment of State Board interim superintendent, Dr. Rodney Shotwell, for Weldon. The Board highlighted that this motion was not taken lightly, and that the Weldon City Board was given a variety of opportunities to remedy the situation up to this point. The Weldon City Board has 45 days to present a response and 60 days to resolve the outlined issues to avoid suspension of their duties.
Carbon Monoxide and Radon Gas Testing: The Board received an update on the status and cost of state-mandated carbon monoxide and radon gas testing in schools. Currently, estimates put the cost at approximately $85 million. While the report was incomplete, law requires a submission to the General Assembly at this point, so the Board approved the draft along with a letter requesting a time extension (see here). The Board additionally approved a motion that charter schools be included in the report, even though legislation does not require it. The presentation can be found here and a draft report to the GA shown here. Read more on this topic in an article by Ann Doss Helms for WFAE here.
Statewide Testing for Multilanguage/English Learners: The Board approved policy amendments for participation in the Statewide Testing Program for English Learners. Changes were made to amend past oversights and ensure that students are accurately identified for the program, receive fair testing accommodations, and exit at an appropriate time. These changes should impact over 400 students across the next 3 years. Review the presentation here and the policy changes here. The presenters also shone light on the transition in terminology from English Learner (EL) to Multilanguage Learner (ML). The federal term remains EL, but North Carolina seeks to acknowledge the skills students already have in place when entering English language programs by using the term ML.
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA): The Board approved the request for selected North Carolina schools to participate in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2025. The list of selected schools may be found here.
Contracts: The Board voted to approve 2 contracts over $500,000. Read more about the contracts here and here.
Discussion Items:
Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) in High School Athletics: The North Carolina High School Athletics Association (NCHSAA) presented to the Board on NIL policy and recommendations for high school student-athletes, but they were not put to a vote. The major takeaway was that policy should not support “pay to play,” but serve as a guide to schools, students, and families in navigating complicated opportunities. Currently, over 30 other states have an established NIL policy. North Carolina is in the process of deciding whether “to be or not to be,” as the presentation’s title (found here) succinctly describes the complex decision the state must make. Reporting on the presentation and NIL in the state can be found here on ABC 11.
State Superintendent Catherine Truitt’s Report: Superintendent Truitt presented on end of year Dibels 8 data, a reading test that is administered 3 times a year in K-3. The exam is administered in both English (438,949 NC students in 2023-24) and Spanish (13,905 NC students in 2023-24). The results showed overall increases in students scoring at and above the benchmark. Truitt noted that, even as all racial/ethnic subgroups of students trend upwards in their scores, the work is not done in closing achievement gaps. The following counties from each region were highlighted for their success in administering Dibels 8 and their impressive outcomes: Camden County, Nash County, Alexander County, Mt. Airy, Clinton City, Brunswick County, Lincoln County, and Haywood County. Congratulations to these counties! Click here to view the presentation and here for the DPI press release.
School-Based Mental Health Policy: The current School-Based Mental Health Policy was amended to reflect additional physical activity requirements for students, mental health training requirements for all school personnel, and reporting requirements on the number of vacancies for certain school mental health professionals. Additionally, a video on child abuse and neglect is now required to be shown to students in grades 6-12 no more than five days after the start of the school year. See the policy with changes here.
Student Presentation on Mental Health: The 2024 State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, which is composed of students from across the state, gave a presentation on Mental Health and Substance Abuse in NC Schools. They concluded the presentation with a recommendation for legislation to provide for Narcan in all schools across North Carolina. See the presentation here. Click here to read more on WRAL.
Micro-Credential Standards: The Board received a presentation on micro-credential standards from DPI (see here). A micro-credential, which is often confused with a digital badge, verifies that an educator is proficient in a job-embedded discrete “skill” or “competency” via defined evaluation criteria. The Board is considering a request to adopt these standards and a rubric to guide future implementation of micro-credentials. This item will be brought in front of the Board again at a future meeting for approval.
Special Recognitions: The second day dedicated its open to an assortment of special recognitions. Click here to read the names and titles of the 2024-25 State Board of Education Advisors, here for the 2024 Teacher and Principal of the Year Cohorts, and here for the 2024 DPI Summer Interns.
August Budget Update: The Chief Financial Officer at DPI, Alexis Schauss, provided the monthly budget report to the Board. She reported that DPI is on track to have all allotments distributed within the next 2 to 4 weeks. Adjustments will continue until the final submission of numbers. Click here to review the current report numbers.
Contract Reports: Click here for the August 2024 Executed Contracts Report. |
