If the legislative short session can be compared to an airplane takeoff, we’ve taxied down the runway and the wheels are off the ground, but there’s a ways to go until we reach cruising altitude.

Several of the “pilots,” – the Appropriations Chairs in both the House and Senate – are meeting behind closed doors to negotiate the adjusted budget for FY 2024-25. NCSBA Governmental Relations (GR) team is hearing that those budgetary modifications may be released as a Conference Report – one piece of legislation which is agreed to by certain members from both chambers. As such, the budget  would require a simple yes or no vote and cannot be amended on the floor of either chamber

Early in the week, Governor Roy Cooper held a press conference to highlight opposition to voucher expansion. House Democrats, meanwhile, filed HB 993, putting a moratorium on the voucher program and requiring accountability from private schools receiving public monies.

Things on Jones Street have been relatively quiet with budget negotiations taking up much of the oxygen. One noteworthy bill filing to highlight is HB 1032 Academic Transparency, which requires LEAs to post all teacher lesson plans, course materials, training materials, and much more on the school’s website. For more on that bill and others filed in the last week, read below.

Also of note, more than 400 people attended the Public School Forum’s annual Eggs & Issues event on May 7, 2024, including NCSBA’s Governmental Relations (GR) team and Executive Director. The event, which focuses on “pressing issues” facing public schools in NC, kicked off with speeches from Governor Roy Cooper and outgoing State Superintendent Catherine Truitt. Truitt’s speech particularly highlighted the “contentious wedge issue” that education has become in politics. To read the full speech, click here. The event also saw multiple candidate forums, including one for State Superintendent. Democratic candidate Maurice “Mo” Green attended and answered questions. Organizers say his opponent, Republican candidate Michelle Morrow, was invited to speak live or through recorded video but chose not to participate.

Education Bills This Week

Conference Committee Report (Compromise Between Chambers):

HB 31 Rowan-Salisbury Board of Educ. Partisan (Primary Sponsor: Representative Harry Warren, R-Rowan)

• Local bill establishing a voter referendum for the November 2024 general election on making the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education elections partisan.
• If approved by Rowan County voters, the partisan elections become effective December 1, 2026.
• Passed the Senate by 42-0 vote. No House vote scheduled yet.

Statewide House Bills Filed:
(Deadline to file most Statewide Bills: May 2)

HB 963 Aggie Academy Learning Lab/Funds (Primary Sponsor: Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford)

• Allocates funds North Carolina A&T University to be used to support Aggie Academy, a UNC lab school for grades 3-5.

HB 976 Workforce Development Program (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Robert T. Reives II, D-Chatham; James Roberson, D-Wake; Ashton Wheeler Clemmons, D-Guilford; Kanika Brown, D-Forsyth)

• Expands funding for new cooperative innovative high schools. The level of funding for the new school is determined by whether the school is located in a Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III county.

HB 981 Funds For Certain Preschool Aged Youth (Primary Sponsor: Representative Amos Quick, D-Guilford)

• Establishes grants for LEAs to use to identify children ages 2-5 who may have developmental disabilities.

HB 988 Retirement Technical Corrections (Primary Sponsor: Representative Carson Smith, R-Pender)

HB 993 (=S853) OPS Moratorium/OPS & PESA Accountability (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Robert T. Reives II, D-Chatham; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Diamond Staton-Williams, D-Cabarrus)

• Prohibits new Opportunity Scholarships for students who did not receive scholarship grant funds during the prior school year.
• Requires nonpublic schools to administer tests required by the State Board of Education for students in grade three and higher.
• Applies beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

HB 996 (=SB841) State Employees/Three Days Bereavement Leave (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Zack Hawkins, D-Durham; Dennis Riddell, R-Alamance; Vernetta Alsto,n D-Durham; Kristin Baker, R-Cabarrus)

• Provides up to three days of paid bereavement leave for public school employees upon the death of an immediate family member.

HB 999 (=S801) Healthy and Safe Students in Every School (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth; Diamond Staton-Williams, D-Cabarrus; Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston)

• Bipartisan bill which requires each public school to always have a school nurse available during instructional days.
• Requires LEAs to provide a supply of emergency naloxone nasal spray on school property.

HB 1011 (=S814) Healthy Students – A Nurse in Every School (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Terence Everitt, D-Wake; Vernetta Alston, D-Durham)

• Requires public school units (including schools for the deaf and blind) to ensure that each school is staffed by at least one full-time, permanent school nurse.

HB 1013 Teacher License Recipr. & DMV Add’l Languages (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford; Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Ya Liu, D-Wake)

• Allows a continuing professional license to be granted to a teacher licensed in a foreign country who has at least three years of teaching experience and is in good standing with the outside jurisdiction.

HB 1014 Sixth & Ninth Grade Academy Pilot/Funds (Primary Sponsor: Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford)

• Requires DPI to establish a Sixth and Ninth Grade Academy Pilot Program for up to 10 LEAs with the purpose of providing comprehensive support to transitioning sixth and ninth grade students transitioning from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school.

HB 1016 Gambling Education  (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Joe John, D-Wake; Wesley Harris, D-Mecklenburg; Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake)

• Requires instructing public middle and high school students in their health class on the addictive potential of gambling and potential consequences.

HB 1021 (=S826) School Mental Health Support Act (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Terence Everitt, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)

• Requires DPI to establish a grant program to increase student access to mental health support personnel in public school units.

HB 1027 Revise Suspension & Parental Notice Policies (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Marcia Morey, D-Durham; Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford; Rosa U. Gill, D-Wake; Marcia Cervania, D-Wake)

• Provides new definitions of suspension lengths and modifies policies.  Requires reporting requirements. Prevents governing bodies from certain forms of disciplinary action, and encourages boards to implement certain truancy and tardiness policies.

HB 1032 Academic Transparency (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Jake Johnson, R-Polk; David Willis, R-Union; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; Allen Chesser, R-Nash)

• Requires the governing body of a public school unit to ensure that the following is prominently displayed on the school’s website: lesson plans, all course materials assigned, instructional materials, supplemental materials, textbooks, videos, digital materials, websites, and other online applications.
• Allows a teacher or staff member to request that their personal title and last initial be used instead of their full name when posting publicly available material.

HB 1035 Support Students With Disabilities Act (Primary Sponsors: Representatives David Willis, R-Union; Brandon Lofton, D-Mecklenburg; John R. Bradford III, R-Mecklenburg; Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)

• A bipartisan bill which requires DPI to establish a grant program for LEAs to cover extraordinary costs of students with disabilities.

HB 1038 Diabetes Education for Parents (Primary Sponsor: Representative Tricia Ann Cotham, R-Mecklenburg)

• Requires schools to provide parents and legal guardians information containing six described components relating to type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the start of each school year.

HB 1040 Addressing NC’s Teacher Crisis/NTSP (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Gloristine Brown. D-Pitt)

• Appropriates funds for the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program (NC NTSP) to enable additional qualifying new graduates of alternative licensure programs or educator preparation programs (EPPs) at UNC constituent institutions who are teaching in North Carolina public schools to participate in NC NTSP without cost to local school administrative units.

HB 1044 County Tier Designation Study Bill (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Jake Johnson, R-Polk; Robert Reives, D-Chatham)

• Directs the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill to study changes to the county tier designation system.

HB 1045 Enhance Teacher Pipeline/Increase TF Program (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Garland E. Pierce, D-Scotland)

• Expands the program to individuals preparing to teach in the State’s public schools, rather than specified qualifying licensure areas.

HB 1047 DRIVE Recommendations/Teacher Diversity (Primary Sponsor: Representative Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)

• Provides funding to support the Grow-Your-Own and 2+2 teacher recruitment education programs.
• Implements various initiatives and program expansions to promote teacher diversity and increase teacher recruitment.

HB 1057 School Performance Grade Pilot (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; David Willis, R-Union; Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes; Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson)

• Establishes a two-year School Performance Grade Update Pilot Program to be implemented for a small group of public school units for the 2024-25 school year and all public school units for the 2025-26 school year. Proposes to change the school grading formula.

Local House Bills Filed:
(Deadline to file most Local Bills: May 7)

HB 1058 Jackson Co Bd of Ed Elections to Nov (Primary Sponsor: Representative Mike Clampitt, R-Swain)

• Shifts elections for the Jackson County Board of Education from the primary election date to the general election date.
• Applies to elections held in 2026 and thereafter.

HB 1067 (S=905) Employee Housing/Durham County (Primary Sponsor: Representative Vernetta Alston, D-Durham)

• Authorizes the Durham Board of Education and Durham County to provide and maintain affordable housing on property owned by the Board or the County for Durham Public Schools teachers, sworn law enforcement officers, or other first responders, as well as Durham Board of Education employees (if units remain available).
• Requires at least 75% of the housing to be reserved for teachers in the Durham Public Schools.

HB 1068 Partisan Bd of Ed Elections in Robeson Co. (Primary Sponsor: Representative Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson)

• Changes the elections for members of the Robeson County Board of Education to be held on a partisan basis.
• Applies beginning with elections held in 2026.

Statewide Senate Bills Filed:
(Deadline to file most Statewide Bills: May 2)

SB 817 Restore Educator Longevity (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Kandie D. Smith, D-Pitt; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Repeals building-in longevity payments for educators into their salary schedules.

SB 818 Restore Master’s Pay for Teachers & ISP (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Kandie D. Smith, D-Pitt; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Reinstate education-based salary supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel.

SB 819 School Psychologist Omnibus (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Provides for salary supplements to school psychologists in addition to any salary received under the teacher salary schedule.
• Provides funds to public school units for signing bonuses to recruit school psychologists subject to certain conditions.

SB 820 School Workers Fair Pay Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Sets the minimum hourly pay rate for all noncertified public school employees at $17/hour and requires the State Board of Education to make the necessary increases.

SB 825 Go Big for Early Childhood Education (Primary Sponsors: Senators Kandie D. Smith, D-Pitt; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Appropriates recurring funds to increase funding for the North Carolina Prekindergarten (NC Pre-K) program.

SB 839 State Employees/Give Leave for Pregnancy Loss (Primary Sponsors: Senators Natalie Murdock D-Durham, Val Applewhite D-Cumberland)

• Provides state employees and public school employees at least 56 hours of paid leave for the loss of a pregnancy.
• Applies to public school units that provide paid leave in accordance with the bill.

SB 846 Protect Our Schools (Primary Sponsors: Senators Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Kandie D. Smith, D-Pitt; Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake)

• Requires the DOT to annually consult with the governing body of each public school unit and certain nonpublic school units to designate school walk zones that include (1) lower speed limits and (2) ensuring appropriate actions are taken to effectuate the reduced speed limit.
• Increases criminal penalties for injuring a minor in school walk zones.

SB 862 Tier One County Assistance (Primary Sponsors: Senators Kandie Smith D-Pitt, Sydney Batch D-Wake, Michael Garrett D-Guilford)

• Appropriates $400 million in nonrecurring funds to provide development grants in tier one areas to promote self-sufficiency, infrastructure improvement, education, or workforce development.

SB 865 Study Cell Phone Use in Schools (Primary Sponsors: Senators Jay J. Chaudhuri, D-Wake; Jim Burgin, R-Harnett)

• Requires the Department of Public Instruction to consult with numerous groups including the NC School Boards Association to study cell phone policies in public school units.

SB 867 Superintendent of Public Instruction Min Reqs (Primary Sponsor: Senator Jay J. Chaudhuri, D-Wake)

• Specifies that to hold the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction the individual must have at least one year of experience either as a teacher or school administrator in the State or as member of a local board of education or the State Board of Education.

SB 870 Flags at Every School (Primary Sponsor: Senator Eddie D. Settle, R-Wilkes)

• Requires local boards of education to adopt policies for the display of the US and North Carolina flags on school grounds near the main entrance to each school and in each classroom.

SB 872 Failure to Stop for School Bus/Evidence (Primary Sponsor: Senator Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell)

• Allows recorded images from a school bus safety camera showing that a school bus was stopped and was displaying its mechanical stop signal or flashing red lights as evidence that an offender didn’t stop for the school bus.

SB 873 End Book Bans Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Removes the provision concerning initial challenges to media by community media advisory committees.
• Allows parents, teachers, and members of the public to challenge textbooks and supplementary instructional materials on the grounds that they are educationally unsuitable, pervasively vulgar, or inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the students.
• Allows local boards to establish community media advisory committees (CMAC) to investigate and evaluate appeals.
• Modifies the appeals process.

SB 895 Parents’ and Students’ Bill of Rights (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Establishes ten statutory rights of a parent related to the upbringing, education, healthcare, and mental health of their minor child.

SB 896 Investing in North Carolina Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)

• Increases salaries for staff paid off the teacher salary schedule.

Local Senate Bills Filed:
(Deadline to file most Local Bills: May 7)

SB 907 Move Caswell Co. Bd. of Ed. Elect. to Nov. (Primary Sponsor: Senator Graig Meyer, D-Orange)

• Requires elections for members of the Caswell County Board of Education to occur at the time of the general election and biennially thereafter. Members that are elected will take office at the first board meeting in December following the election.
• Changes the method of election to the nonpartisan plurality method.

SB 908 Orange Co Bd of Ed Election Changes. (Primary Sponsor: Senator Graig Meyer, D-Orange)

• Changes the method of election for the Orange County Board of Education to the nonpartisan plurality method from the runoff method.

Today marks the end of Week 2 of this biennium’s short session. The House’s chief budget writer, Representative Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), is hoping to keep the length of the session in line with its name, but the recent good news concerning the surplus could cause the session to run longer. Rep. Saine said, “we are fortunate that since we’ve had so much economic activity, we yet again have another surplus. It’s not as great if you are budget chair because we got to figure out where to invest those dollars.” While he hopes attention will turn to his ABC reform bill which stalled last session, others are looking to a different sort of ABCs. Public education has received much of the early attention so far this session, with a variety of K-12 bills being filed, read, discussed, moved, and passed. For example, funding for the highly debated Opportunity Scholarship bill, HB823 Eliminate School Choice Program Waitlists passed the Senate this week.

Read on to catch up on this week’s legislative happenings, including new and updated bills.

Keep in mind that, in addition to budgetary items and other bills that meet alternate eligibility requirements, any bill that completely passed either chamber during the long session is eligible to be considered in the short session. Click here to view a helpful chart of K-12 education crossover bills (i.e., bills from the 2023 long session) that are eligible for the short session.

Education Bills This Week

Bills Passed by the Senate:

HB823 Eliminate School Choice Program Waitlists (Presenter: Senator Michael Lee, R-New Hanover) passed the Senate on Thursday along party lines: 28-15.

This new bill, first introduced on May 1 in the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee,  dramatically increases funding to the Opportunity Scholarship (voucher) program with an additional:

• $223.3 million  for the upcoming school year to reduce the program’s waitlist which resulted from last year’s legislation that eliminated income requirements to receive a private school voucher.
• $215.5 million recurring   for private school scholarships beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
• $24.7 million recurring to clear the waitlist for the Education Student Accounts program, which supports students with disabilities.
• By 2031-32 the projected amount allotted for private school vouchers will increase from $505.5 million/year to at least $800 million/year

While the majority party supported the Opportunity Scholarship “voucher” program, Democrats pushed back, encouraging members to instead put the money into public schools and avoid forcing taxpayers to pay for private school vouchers that may go to high-earning families. The Opportunity Scholarship program has been praised by supporters for allowing students to access the school of their “choice,” but discussion highlighted the fact that not every county has private schools.

In fact, according to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), 16 counties do not have a single eligible private school and 29 counties have only 1-2, so it seems not every student has the chance to make that “choice.” Additionally, two members of the public briefly spoke in opposition to the bill and urged lawmakers to invest in public schools instead. Note that HB823 was on the fast track – it was introduced in a Senate committee and sent to the House within 24 hours.  It will go back to the House for a concurrence vote before it can be sent to the Governor.

“Of all the important issues in North Carolina, the top priority for Republicans is funneling taxpayer money into private school vouchers for the wealthy instead of giving teachers a decent pay raise,” said Governor Cooper. “This is catastrophic for the hardworking educators who deserve higher pay and the families with children in public schools whose education is threatened by this reckless desire to give a government handout to millionaires.”

Bills Sent to Governor:

SB 508: 2023 Budget Tech/Other Corrections (Primary Sponsor: Senator Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell)
This 60-page bill is intended to make technical and clarifying changes to the budget and other bills passed during the long legislative session.
K-12 portions of the bill include:

SECTION 1.8 Stokes County /Needs Based Public School Capital Fund: Authorizes Stokes County Schools (SCPS) to submit an application for a needs-based capital grant without approval from the county board of commissioners. Authorizes SCPS to provide matching funds and to enter into any agreements with a grant award.

SECTION 2.4 Reinstate Reporting Requirement For Transportation Reserve Fund For Homeless and Foster Children: Requires DPI to reinstate the annual report to the General Assembly on the use of Transportation Reserve Funds for homeless and foster children.

SECTION 2.8A.(c,g,h) School Resource Officers In Nonpublic Schools: Establishes a definition for a school resource officer (SRO) which includes being assigned to one or more schools at least 20 hours/week for more than 12 weeks per calendar year. Also requires SROs to comply with required training requirements before a police chief or sheriff’s office can sign an agreement.

SECTION 2.8C.(a) Revise Career Development Plan Requirements: Modifies the original provision to not promoting a student from seventh grade to eighth grade until a career development plan is created.

SECTION 2.8D.(a) Clarify Eligibility For Certain 2021 Bonuses for Local Education Employees for Work During the Pandemic: Clarifies that contractors hired by LEAs are eligible for certain bonuses during the pandemic regardless of the funding source.

SECTION 2.8E.(a) Grant Boards of Schools for the Deaf and Blind Early Contract and Policy Authority: Sections 1-3 of S.L. 2023-10 (HB 11, Schools for the Deaf and Blind) go into effect May 1, 2024, instead of July 1, 2024

SECTION 2.8F. Changes Application Timeline for Plasma Games Grant Program: Requires DPI to make applications available June 1 annually instead of August 1. Applications must be submitted applications by December 1 annually instead of October 1.

SECTION 2.14.(a)Clarify Forgiveness Criteria for Teaching Fellows Program: Adds serving as a teacher in qualifying license area to the list of criteria.

SECTION 6.4.(c) State Insurance for Public Education: Rewritten to designate the State Fire Marshall with authority to operate the insurance system for public education property in place of the Insurance Commissioner.

Bills Filed this Week:

Statewide Bills:

• HB 934 Make State Employment Great Again (Primary Sponsors: Representative James Roberson, D-Wake; Representative Carolyn G. Logan, D-Mecklenburg; Representative Renée A. Price, D-Orange)
  • Provides a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS).

• HB 940 School-Based Mental Health Service Study (Primary Sponsor: Representative Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
  • Requires DPI to study the impact of school-based mental health services on student outcomes and report them to the General Assembly by the 1^st day of 2025.
  • Appropriates $75,000 in nonrecurring funds for the study and resulting report.

• HB 945 Funds for Voices Together (Primary Sponsors: Representative Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Representative Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston; Representative Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)
  • Appropriates recurring funds to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education for Voices Together, a nonprofit corporation, to address young children’s educational and emotional needs through music therapy.

• HB 946 Voices Together/Elementary Education (Primary Sponsors: Representative Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Representative Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston; Representative Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)
  • Appropriates recurring funds to the Department of Public Instruction for Voices Together, a nonprofit corporation, to provide programming to elementary school students with delays or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Available in NC school systems where Voices Together already provides programming at the high school level.

• HB 947 Voices Together/Middle School Education (Primary Sponsors: Representative Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Representative Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston; Representative Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)
  • Appropriates funds to the Department of Public Instruction to provide programming through Voices Together, a nonprofit corporation, that is preparatory for Pre-Employment Transition Services for middle school students who have delays or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Available in NC school systems where Voices Together already provides programming at the high school level.

• HB 941 Buncombe Schools Consolidation Study/Funds (Primary Sponsor: Representative Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
  • Only applies to Buncombe County.
  • Reimburses Buncombe County for the study of merging Buncombe County Schools Administrative Unit and the City of Asheville School Administrative Unit.

• HB 960 Sound Basic Education for Every Child (Primary Sponsors: Representative Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Representative Rosa U. Gill, D-Wake; Representative Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Representative Lindsey Prather, D-Wake)
• This 48 page bill includes the following:
  • Approves resources and programs to establish a sound basic education for every child in North Carolina.
  • Establishes Office of Equity Affairs within the Department of Public Instruction.
  • Allows budget flexibility for local boards of education.
  • Establishes an assessment and accountability system for multiple measures of student performance and adjusts weighting between proficiency and growth.
  • Expands NC Pre-K Program.

• HB 962 Governor’s Budget (Primary Sponsors: Representative Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth; Representative Dean Arp, R-Union; Representative Jason Saine, R-Lincoln)
• *Note: The Governor is constitutionally required to propose a budget bill. Refer to last week’s update for more information. The description below is non-comprehensive.*
  • 8.5% average raise and $1,500 retention bonus for teachers.
  • Restoring master’s pay for teachers.
  • 5% salary increase (previously slated for 3%) for all state employees and non-certified public school employees and up to a $1500 multi-installment retention bonus for most state employees.
  • $44.6 million to fund additional school health personnel (counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists) to support student mental and physical health.
  • $217 million for crucial support programs for disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency.

• SB 785 Zero-Based Budgeting (Primary Sponsor: Senator Jim Burgin, R-Harnett)
  • Requires the Department of Public Instruction to submit zero-based budget plans every eight years, starting in 2026.

• HB 991 Alternative Licensure Path/CTE High School (Primary Sponsor: Representative Jake Johnson, R-Polk)
  • Appropriates funds to study the licensure requirements for career and technical education (CTE) high school teachers.
  • Requires DPI (in collaboration with the State Board of Community Colleges) to provide the General Assembly a report of any recommendations on an alternative or modified path to licensure.

• HB 990 Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot for LSAUs (Primary Sponsors: Representative Terry M. Brown Jr., D-Mecklenburg; Representative Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Representative Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Representative Vernetta Alston, D-Durham)
  • Establishes a mental health pilot program to fund at least one mental health triage unit (containing at least one nurse, one social worker, and one licensed mental health counselor) in each participating local school administrative unit.
  • Appropriates funds for this purpose.

• HB 981 Funds for Certain Preschool-Aged Youth (Primary Sponsor: Representative Amos L. Quick III, D-Guilford)
  •  Appropriates funds to establish grants for preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities.

• HB 985 Funds for Various Projects in District 119 (Primary Sponsors: Representative Mile Clampitt, R-Swain; Representative Caleb Rudow, D-Buncombe)
  • Appropriates funds to the Town of Bryson City for water and wastewater systems associated with the proposed new Swain County Middle School.
  • Appropriates funds to Swain County for replacement of sewer lines serving Swain County High School.
  • Increases small county funding allotment for counties with an ADM between 1,701-2,000
  • Removes the local minimum effort requirement for supplemental funding in low-wealth counties
  • Appropriates funds to Smoky Mountain High School.
  • Appropriates funds to Transylvania County Public Schools.

• HB 987 FAFSA Completion as a Graduation Requirement (Primary Sponsor: Representative Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)
  • Makes completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) a graduation requirement for high school seniors, unless an approved waiver is submitted, or a student’s principal waives the requirement due to extenuating circumstances.

Local Bills:

• SB 784 Currituck County/Eminent Domain (Primary Sponsor: Senator Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck)
  • Adds Currituck County to the list of counties whose boards of education may exercise the power of eminent domain for purposes authorized by Chapter 115C of the General Statutes.

The NC General Assembly kicked off its short legislative session on Wednesday with the primary purpose of adjusting the biennial state budget which became law in October of 2023. In addition to budgetary items and other bills that meet alternate eligibility requirements, any bill that completely passed either chamber during the long session is eligible to be considered in the short session. Click here to view a helpful chart of K-12 education crossover bills (i.e., bills from the 2023 long session) that are eligible for the short session.

This short session may prove especially interesting, considering the state of North Carolina has a projected $1.4 billion surplus through 2024-2025. Economists with both the Office of State Budget and Management and the Fiscal Research Division at the NC General Assembly released their Consensus General Revenue Fund Forecast last week.

With the projected surplus in mind, Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) has indicated that Republican-led House wants to further expand the Opportunity Scholarship program which provides taxpayer funding for private school tuition. According to an article in Education NC about the projected surplus, Speaker Moore is quoted saying an additional $300 million is needed to fully fund the program to meet the demand, adding to the hundreds of millions currently in the state budget. A total of 72,000 Opportunity Scholarship applications were received following the passage in last year’s budget to make private school vouchers available to any North Carolina student regardless of the family’s income level.

Not everyone supports these private school vouchers, namely, NC Governor Roy Cooper. When it comes to the state budget, the Governor’s duty requires that he make a budget proposal first and then legislators may consider parts of that proposal, or ignore it altogether, when writing their budget proposals. Before either chamber convened on the first day of the short session (April 24), Cooper released his proposed budget, in which he calls for “a moratorium on taxpayer-funded private school vouchers that lack accountability and reprioritizes those funds to public schools.”

Governor’s Budget

In addition to the moratorium on vouchers, the Governor’s budget included the following K-12 highlights:

• 8.5% average raise and $1,500 retention bonus for teachers
• Restoring master’s pay for teachers
• 5% salary increase (previously slated for 3%) for all state employees and non-certified public school employees and up to a $1500 multi-installment retention bonus for most state employees
• $44.6 million to fund additional school health personnel (counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists) to support student mental and physical health
• Funding for 700 additional teaching assistants in grades K-3
• $56.8 billion to remove the 13% funding cap and increase funding for children with disabilities
• $745 million investment in childcare and early education
• $2.5 billion school construction bond
• $34.7 million to offer Read to Achieve to middle school students
• $11 million to strengthen the pipeline of new teachers
• $217 million for crucial support programs for disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency

In response to the Democratic Governor’s budget proposal, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) was quoted in the News & Observer: “…I don’t know that we can go as far as what the governor is talking about — whether we’ll do any of those things.”

Click here to read Governor Cooper’s budget proposal and here to read his press release on the budget. To read more on the Governor’s budget and how it might fit into the short session, check out this Education NC article.

Committee Meetings

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology met on April 18 to discuss broadband expansion and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) workforce.

• The NCDIT is making progress in their expansion of broadband across NC, but hundreds of thousands of serviceable locations remain unserved or underserved.
• While NC’s internet connectivity for school facilities is in “a really good position” relative to other states (according to Nate Denny, NCDIT Deputy Secretary for Broadband & Digital Equity), the challenge is the “homework gap.” This gap describes when students are unable to complete online assignments at home due to a lack of internet or connectable technology. NCDIT says they are working to address the issue.
• NCDIT is focused on their student outreach program to grow awareness of IT-related opportunities in state government for public middle and high school students.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Education Bills Filed This Week

Statewide Bills:

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

• Section 1 only applies to Wake County.

• 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, beginning as early as the 2024-2025 school year.
• Allows the appropriation of recurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Instruction for the 2024-2025 fiscal year for tuition payments for Cooperative Innovative High Schools.

Read the News & Observer report on HB 900 here.

HB 914 Buncombe County Schools Redistricting/Funds. (Primary Sponsor: Representative Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)

• Only applies to Buncombe County.
• Reimburses Buncombe County Schools for redistricting costs.

Local Bills:

HB 902 School Calendar – Hertford Align With CC. (Primary Sponsor: Representative Bill Ward, R-Pasquotank)

• Allows Hertford County Schools to align their school calendar with the school calendar of Roanoke-Chowan Community College.

HB 907 School Calendar – Chatham Start Date/Testing. (Primary Sponsor: Representative Robert T. Reives II, D-Chatham)

• Allows Chatham County Schools (except for year-round schools) to schedule the opening date for students no earlier than the Monday closest to August 10, and the closing date for students would be no later than the Friday closest to June 11.

For a complete list of school calendar bills filed in the 2023-24 legislative session, click here. Newly filed bills are highlighted.