Legislative Updates & Alerts

HB 539/Charter Fund Sharing Hearing

The House K-12 Education Committee this week discussed but took no action on HB 539, legislation to require LEAs to transfer additional moneys to charter schools.  Lawmakers shared their thoughts on the bill and then took public comment.  The public comment period involved remarks from 13 individuals, including Guilford County school board member Linda Welborn.

HB 539’s future is unclear at this point.  The committee has three choices: do nothing, make a recommendation to not concur, or make a recommendation to concur.  Please continue to stay in communication with your House member(s) in opposition to HB 539.  Click here for member contact information.

Resources & Points to Remember

Below are materials and informational items to circulate in your communities.

*A one-page sheet with talking points on HB 539 can be found here.

*A short video on this issue can be found here.  Make sure to continue sharing this video on social media and encourage others to do so.

*A longer Myth/Fact sheet on the issue can be found here.

*Legislators and others need to understand the pots of monies that school districts would have to transfer if HB 539 becomes law (reimbursements, gifts, federal grants, etc.).  A review of the types of monies at risk can be found here.  

*Charter schools can already seek out many of the monies at issue in HB 539 without having to take them from school districts.  For example, school districts would have to transfer E-rate reimbursements under HB 539 but charters already have the ability to seek out E-Rate reimbursements if they so choose.

*There are policies and laws that limit how federal grants and reimbursements are used and which students may be served.  Charters continue to claim that despite these policies and laws, they should be entitled to a share of federal grants and reimbursements that a school district receives.

*Charters continue to claim that charter students receive only 75 cents for every dollar provided to LEAs.  This is a flawed calculation based on factors unrelated to per-pupil funding and reflects an apples-to-oranges comparison of district and charter funding.

Budget News

As expected, the House did not concur with the Senate budget this week.  Leaders of both chambers are negotiating a final budget deal.  Now is the time to voice any concerns you have about particular provisions in either or both budgets.  In particular, those of you who have year-round schools and are concerned about the definition established in the Senate’s budget need to be communicating your concerns.  Click here to read more on the year-round provision and other major items in the Senate budget.  Click here for a summary of the House-passed budget.

Click here to see the line-item adjustments made by each budget, as prepared by DPI.

High School Math Standards

A bill requiring school districts to offer two separate high school Math tracks passed a Senate Committee this week and has been placed on the Senate’s calendar for Monday, June 13.  HB 657, which passed the Senate Education Committee, would mandate that all school districts offer BOTH the current Math I, II, III AND the old Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II high school course sequences. Students/parents would be able to choose which high school Math track they want.  This has the potential to cause significant issues for small high schools and small school districts.  If you believe this bill is going to cause staffing or other issues in your district please communicate with your Senator(s) over the weekend.  Also please share with us any examples of staffing or other issues you are using to demonstrate how this bill could be detrimental.  Click here to find Senator contact information.

Achievement School District

HB 1080- Achievement School District, has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee.  Please continue to be in contact with Senator(s) in opposition to this bill.

Click here for the NCSBA issue brief on this.

Bills

Action Bills: Click here for a list of NCSBA-tracked bills that had action this week.

Upcoming Legislative Meetings and Events

Monday, June 13

7:00 PM
The House and Senate will convene for session.  The Senate will consider HB 657- Math Standard Course of Study Revisions and HB 242 to make various changes to charter school laws.

Tuesday, June 14

1:00 PM
The Senate Finance Committee will meet and consider the following pertinent bills:
SB888- Buncombe School Capital Fund Commission

Wednesday, June 15

Thursday, June 16

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

ASD Bill Passes Committee-House Vote Possible Next Week

HB 1080- Achievement School District, passed out of the House K-12 Education Committee this week. The 18-11 vote came after a good deal of discussion about the wisdom of allowing for-profit charter management groups to take control of some low-performing public elementary schools. “Every year a kid stays in one of these failing schools is a year lost. You can’t get them back,” bill sponsor Rep. Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg), told the committee.

Rep. Kyle Hall (R-Stokes) attempted to add an amendment establishing that the State would be responsible for repair and renovation costs of schools that are taken over by the charter management groups through the ASD.  Opponents of the amendment argued that it would set a bad precedent since school capital costs have historically been a local responsibility.  The amendment did not pass.

Some committee members asked Rep. Bryan about the mixed results of ASD programs in other states such as Tennessee.  Rep. Bryan responded that the program in HB 1080 is different because it puts prerequisites on any group applying to manage a school in the ASD. “The guardrail we put on this is that you’ve got to be a successful operation,” he said.

HB 1080 is extremely likely to come up on the House floor next week, potentially as early as Tuesday.  Please be contacting House member(s) in opposition (click here for contact info).  As soon as it is scheduled we will send you an Alert so please watch your email closely.

Click here for the NCSBA issue brief on this.

The charter school community is continuing to push strongly for the House to concur with HB 539.  While it remains important that you maintain contact with your House member(s) in opposition, it is also critical to be communicating locally to develop grassroots opposition to HB 539 within your communities.  Reach out to local PTAs and other community groups that support public education, make sure they understand what is at stake with HB 539, and get them involved in spreading the word to parents and concerned citizens.  These types of efforts are happening on the charter side.  For example, proponents of HB 539 are spreading their message of “fair funding” on social media using the hashtag #fairfundsnc.  Charter schools are also sending to their parents call to action messages such as this (click here).  School districts need to be countering these efforts.  Remember that HB 539 could come up at any time.

Resources & Points to Remember

Below are materials and informational items to circulate in your communities.

*A one-page sheet with talking points on HB 539 can be found here.

*A short video on this issue can be found here.  Make sure to continue sharing this video on social media and encourage others to do so.

*A longer Myth/Fact sheet on the issue can be found here.

*Legislators and others need to understand the pots of monies that school districts would have to transfer if HB 539 becomes law (reimbursements, gifts, federal grants, etc.).  A review of the types of monies at risk can be found here.  

*Charter schools can already seek out many of the monies at issue in HB 539 without having to take them from school districts.  For example, school districts would have to transfer E-rate reimbursements under HB 539 but charters already have the ability to seek out E-Rate reimbursements if they so choose.

*There are policies and laws that limit how federal grants and reimbursements are used and which students may be served.  Charters continue to claim that despite these policies and laws, they should be entitled to a share of federal grants and reimbursements that a school district receives.

*Charters continue to claim that charter students receive only 75 cents for every dollar provided to LEAs.  This is a flawed calculation based on factors unrelated to per-pupil funding and reflects an apples-to-oranges comparison of district and charter funding.

Budget News

Senate budget writers are expecting to finish their budget over Memorial Day weekend, possibly making it publicly available as soon as Tuesday.  The budget would move through the Senate’s finance and appropriations committees Tuesday or Wednesday with the full chamber taking a final vote by the end of next week.  “We’re going to be heavy with the budget over here,” said Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson).

This week Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) held a press conference to provide an overview of what the Senate will be doing with teacher pay in its budget.  The Senate’s plan adds $538 million to base pay over the next two years to bring the average annual teacher salary to approximately $54,000. Senator Berger explained that this would make North Carolina the regional leader in teacher pay.  “If everything else remains stagnant, teachers will receive almost $200,000 in additional pay over the course of their career under this plan,” Sen. Berger said.  It was also explained that the Senate’s plan allows teachers to get max out at the top of the pay scale year 15 (currently 25).  “We think this is the right plan for teachers in North Carolina at this time,” Sen. Berger said.  The proposal as outlined is bigger than the average 4.1% teacher pay raises the House included in its budget.  Sen. Berger also announced that raises for other school and state employees would be disclosed when the Senate budget is made public.

Click here for a video of Senator Berger’s press conference.

Another K-12 item to watch in the Senate budget is whether it includes the language from SB 862- Opp. Scholarships Forward Funding, a bill filed by Sen. Chad Barefoot (R-Wake).  This language would significantly increase funding for the Opportunity Scholarship school voucher program.  A reserve fund would be created and there would be an automatic transfer of funds from the General Fund to this reserve fund to be used to award new vouchers.  Funding for the program would be increased from $17.6 million to $44.8 million for the 2018-19 school year.  This number would rise by $10 million each year thereafter until it reaches $134.8 million in the 2027-28 school year.

House Budget Information

Click here for a summary of the House-passed budget.

Click here to see the line-item adjustments made by the House budget, as prepared by DPI.

Click here to read the budget money report.

Teacher Criminal Background Checks

A Senate committee advanced legislation this week to require all individuals seeking an NC teaching license to undergo a criminal background check.  The bill is SB 867 and it would put the State Board of Education in charge of setting up a criminal background check program for prospective teachers and reviewing the results of those checks.  Prospective teachers would have to pay a fee for the background check but that fee could be paid by the local school board at its discretion.  The legislation lays out dozens of crimes that would disqualify candidates thought to pose a threat to school safety.  Local school boards would continue to decide whether to conduct criminal background checks for other school employees.

Bill Dealing with Anti-Pension Spiking

On Tuesday, the House Pensions and Retirement Committee will take up HB 1134.  Section 6 of HB 1134 makes the Treasurer’s Office exempt from the APA (rule-making process) as it relates to the anti-pension spiking cap (retroactive to January 1, 2015).  This language would negate lawsuits that a couple of local school boards have filed against the Retirement System on the anti-pension spiking issue.

Bills

Action Bills: Click here for a list of NCSBA-tracked bills that had action this week.

Upcoming Legislative Meetings and Events

The House will hold a skeleton session (no votes).

Tuesday, May 31

9:00 AM
The Senate will convene.

10:00 AM
The House Pensions and Retirement Committee will meet and consider the following pertinent bills:
HB 1134- Admin. Changes Retirement System/Treasurer
HB 1137- Treasurer’s 2016 Investment Admin. Changes- AB

10:00 AM
The Senate Finance Committee will meet and consider the following local bill: SB 727-Moore Cty Local Sales Tax Use Restriction

Wednesday, June 1

Thursday, June 2

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

Charter Advocates Continue to Push HB 539

The charter school community is continuing to push strongly for the House to concur with HB 539.  While it remains important that you maintain contact with your House member(s) in opposition, it is also critical to be making local contacts to develop grassroots opposition to HB 539 within your communities.  Reach out to local PTAs and other community groups that support public education, make sure they understand what is at stake with HB 539, and get them involved in spreading the word to parents and concerned citizens.  These types of efforts are happening on the charter side.  For example, proponents of HB 539 are spreading their message of “fair funding” on social media using the hashtag #fairfundsnc.  Charter schools are also sending to their parents call to action messages such as this (click here).  School districts need to be countering these efforts.  Remember that HB 539 could come up at any time.

Resources & Points to Remember

Below are materials and informational items to circulate in your communities.

*A one-page sheet with talking points on HB 539 can be found here.

*A short video on this issue can be found here.  Make sure to continue sharing this video on social media and encourage others to do so.

*A longer Myth/Fact sheet on the issue can be found here.

*Legislators and others need to understand the pots of monies that school districts would have to transfer if HB 539 becomes law (reimbursements, gifts, federal grants, etc.).  A review of the types of monies at risk can be found here.  

*Charter schools can already seek out many of the monies at issue in HB 539 without having to take them from school districts.  For example, school districts would have to transfer E-rate reimbursements under HB 539 but charters already have the ability to seek out E-Rate reimbursements if they so choose.

*There are policies and laws that limit how federal grants and reimbursements are used and which students may be served.  Charters continue to claim that despite these policies and laws, they should be entitled to a share of federal grants and reimbursements that a school district receives.

*Charters continue to claim that charter students receive only 75 cents for every dollar provided to LEAs.  This is a flawed calculation based on factors unrelated to per-pupil funding and reflects an apples-to-oranges comparison of district and charter funding.

Budget News

House Budget Approved-Senate Moves Next

The House passed its version of the 2016-17 budget this week.  Including compensation increases, the House budget increases appropriations for K-12 public schools by 4.4% above the original spending target for 2016-17.  Teachers with 5-25 years of experience receive an average 4.1% salary increase, with the largest increases going to mid-career teachers.  Other teachers will get a one-time $1,000 bonus.  Most school administrators will get an average 2% increase (with some receiving a $500 bonus).  Non-certified and central office staff will get a 2% raise and a one-time $500 bonus.  Click here to read the Money Report.  See below for more details on the House budget and what happened as it moved through the chamber this week.

On the Senate side, budget writers have said that their budget is not likely to be very different from that of the House except on salaries.  The biggest difference between the House and Senate budgets is expected to be on salaries for teachers, school employees, and State employees.  It is expected that the Senate will turn its budget around within two weeks.  One thing to watch for in the Senate budget is whether it includes the language from SB 862- Opp. Scholarships Forward Funding, a bill filed by Sen. Chad Barefoot (R-Wake).  It would significantly increase funding for the Opportunity Scholarship voucher program.  A reserve fund would be created and there would be an automatic transfer of funds from the General Fund to this reserve fund to be used to award new vouchers.  Funding for the program would be increased from $17.6 million to $44.8 million for the 2018-19 school year.  This number would rise by $10 million each year thereafter until it reaches $134.8 million in the 2027-28 school year.

House Budget Process

Several amendments were offered and passed in both the House Appropriations Committee and on the House floor throughout the week as the budget was developed.  The most notable amendments for K-12 public schools dealt with virtual charters and the Opportunity Scholarship school voucher program.

Virtual Charters

Rep. James Langdon (R-Johnston) ran an amendment touching on the virtual charter pilot language.  A provision had been included in the K-12 education section that allowed the two virtual charter pilot schools to have a higher withdrawal rate than the original virtual charter legislation allowed.  The same provision would also legislatively mandate that several types of students are to be excluded from the withdrawal rate, making it easier for the virtual charters to stay below the higher withdrawal rate caps.  Rep. Langdon’s amendment attempted to remove this provision and return to the original virtual charter language, which set a 25% cap and allowed the State Board of Education to determine what types of students should and should not be counted  in the withdrawal rate.  This amendment passed 59-56.

About an hour later, Rep. Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg) successfully ran an amendment that undid most of the Langdon amendment.  Under the Bryan amendment, the rate cap stays at 25% (the existing level) but the State Board would still be directed to exclude five categories of students from the calculation of the withdrawal rate.  The State Board, not the General Assembly, should determine how to calculate a fair withdrawal rate for these schools, as they are the body in charge of overseeing these programs and receiving periodic updates on how they are doing.  Another troubling provision in the virtual charter language would increase the portion of virtual charter teachers who can be non-NC residents from 10% to 20%.

Opportunity Scholarships

An amendment from  Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (R-Wilkes) in the House Appropriations Committee modified the proposed changes to the school voucher program.  The current law allows vouchers to be awarded to kindergarten and grade 1 students even if they have not previously been enrolled in a public school, but caps the portion of newly awarded vouchers they can receive at 35%.  Under the original House budget language, Grade 1 students would have been removed from this cap, meaning that there would be no limit on how many new vouchers they could receive.  Rep. Elmore’s amendment changed this so that grade 1 students go back to being subject to the cap, but the cap itself would go up from 35% to 40%.

Other Notable House Budget Provisions

Vouchers.  There is an increase of $5.8  million to the special education voucher program.

ADM Growth.  Public school ADM growth is fully funded ($46.8 million).

Literacy Coaches.  There is an appropriation of $25 million to put K-3 Literacy Coaches in the lowest performing 20% of elementary schools across the state.  This would be the first State appropriation for literacy coaches in any public schools since the line-item was zeroed out in 2009.

Advanced Teaching Roles/Elevating Educators Act.  Modified language from last session’s Elevating Educators Act is included in the subcommittee’s approved budget.  This provision establishes a three-year pilot program where 10 LEAs would experiment with models of differentiated pay for teachers linked to advanced teaching roles (new or additional roles and responsibilities).  There would be a $1 million set aside for this pilot.

A-F School Performance Grades.  The formula for calculating A-F letter grades for schools is changed from 80% assessment scores 20% growth to a 50-50 split between the two components.  The 15-point scale is also made permanent (it is scheduled to end with this year’s set of grades).

Read to Achieve.  Like last year’s House budget, this year’s House budgets contains several provisions to improve the Read to Achieve program.  Among these would be a requirement for the SBE to expand the types of diagnostic and formative assessments school districts could use to measure reading progress in grades K-3.

Other Funding Increases.  Digital Learning Plan ($9.4 million); Textbooks/Digital Resources ($11.7 million)

Achievement School District

There are lots of conversations happening on House side about the Achievement School District issue and bill.  Be sure to watch your email closely for updates and notable developments on this.

Click here for the NCSBA issue brief on this.

Union School Boards/County Comm Funding Lawsuit Moratorium

A bill was filed this week by Sen. Tommy Tucker (R-Union) to prohibit the Union school board from initiating a legal challenge over the sufficiency of local funding from their county commissioners in the 2016-17 school year.  The bill is SB 881.

Bills

New Bills:  Click here for a list of new bills filed this week that NCSBA is tracking.

4:00 PM
The Senate will convene for session.

5:00 PM
The House will convene for session.

Tuesday, May 24

Wednesday, May 25

Thursday, May 26

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

*LEAs in Grave Danger of Losing Funds to Charters*

We know that HB 539– Charter School Funding, was discussed in the House Republican caucus this week.  The charter community is continuing to make a hard push in the House to have this bill moved to the floor for a vote.  It is critically important that you communicate with your House member(s) throughout the weekend to express how harmful this legislation would be for your school district and ask them to oppose it.  Remember that if HB 539 goes to the House floor it would only need to receive an up or down vote (not amendable).

When communicating about HB 539 make sure to focus on these points:

(1) Specify the pots of program specific monies that your district would have to transfer if this bill becomes law (reimbursements, gifts, federal grants, etc.).  Click here to learn more about what program specific funds would have to be transferred to charters.

(2) Emphasize that charter schools can already seek out their own gifts, federal grants, reimbursements etc. without having to take them from school districts.  For example, school districts would have to transfer E-Rate reimbursements under HB 539 but charters already have the ability to seek out E-Rate reimbursements if they so choose.

Video and Grassroots Advocacy

Be sure to continue sharing the video that touches on the LEA/charter school funding sharing issue.  The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/Ai1al22B3DU

Also use this fact sheet on the issue at this link: https://ncsbac.org/charter-school-funding-issues

As we reported to you last week, NCSBA and NCASA brought together a group of school board members, superintendents, finance officers, and board attorneys to see if we could develop another way to structure the charter school funding system.  What this group came up with was a compromise that disentangles LEA and charter school funding altogether by providing charter schools with their own funding streams at both the State and local levels.  Legislation to accomplish this was filed this week as HB 1111.  The bill is sponsored by Reps. Charles Jeter (R-Mecklenburg), Leo Daughtry (R-Johnston), Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus), and Robert Reives (D-Chatham).  You can read more about what HB 1111 does here.

The goals of HB 1111 are to:

(1) Disentangle any financial relationship between LEAs and charter schools.

(2) Provide additional funding for charters (approximately $48 million) that does not come at the expense of LEAs.

(3) Create a system that does not foster lawsuits.

Some in the charter community are already circulating claims that HB 1111 would take money away from and harm charter schools.  The fact is that HB 1111 would generate approximately $48 million in additional funding for charter schools in addition to allowing them to ask county commissioners for capital funding.  To read the details about what HB 1111 does click here.

Budget News

House Education Budget Approved

Budget subcommittees in the House met Thursday to unveil, review, and advance their sections of the House’s 2016-17 budget adjustments.  On the K-12 public education side, the House Ed Appropriations Subcommittee started with a $8.419 billion total spending plan for this fiscal year as established by the biennium budget enacted last session.  The subcommittee proposed an increase of $12.9 million, or 0.2%.  Salaries and benefits for teachers and educators were not part of these adjustments as those items are handled by the full appropriations chairs.  Click here to see the money report and here to see the special provisions.

Below are the notable components of the education budget approved by the subcommittee.

Virtual Charter Pilots.  The approved budget would loosen requirements for the two virtual charter school pilots.

(1) It would allow the virtual charters to have a higher withdrawal rate than the original legislation.  Currently, neither virtual charter can have a student withdrawal rate higher than 24% in any school year.  The approved education budget would raise that to 34%.

(2) It would exclude additional types of students from the withdrawal rate, making it easier for the virtual charters to stay below the withdrawal rate caps.

(3) It would increase the portion of virtual charter teachers who can be non-NC residents from 10% to 20%.

School Voucher Programs.  No new money would be appropriated for the Opportunity Scholarship school voucher program but there would be a statutory change to expand the portion of vouchers that can be awarded to 1st grade students who have not attended a public school.  The current law allows vouchers to be awarded to kindergarten and grade 1 students even if they have not previously been enrolled in a public school, but caps the portion of newly awarded vouchers they can receive at 35%. Under the House budget language, Grade 1 students would be removed from this cap, meaning that there is no limit on how many new vouchers they can receive whether or not they have previously attended a public school.

There is also an increase of $5.8  million to the special education voucher program.

ADM Growth.  Public school ADM growth is fully funded ($46.8 million).

Literacy Coaches.  There is an appropriation of $25 million to put K-3 Literacy Coaches in the lowest performing 20% of elementary schools across the state.  This would be the first State appropriation for literacy coaches in any public schools since the line-item was zeroed out in 2009.

Advanced Teaching Roles/Elevating Educators Act.  Modified language from last session’s Elevating Educators Act is included in the subcommittee’s approved budget.  This provision establishes a three-year pilot program where 10 LEAs would experiment with models of differentiated pay for teachers linked to advanced teaching roles (new or additional roles and responsibilities).  There would be a $1 million set aside for this pilot.

A-F School Performance Grades.  The formula for calculating A-F letter grades for schools is changed from 80% assessment scores 20% growth to a 50-50 split between the two components.  The 15-point scale is also made permanent (it is scheduled to end with this year’s set of grades).

Read to Achieve.  Like last year’s House budget, this year’s House budgets contains several provisions to improve the Read to Achieve program.  Among these would be a requirement for the SBE to expand the types of diagnostic and formative assessments school districts could use to measure reading progress in grades K-3.

Other Funding Increases.  Digital Learning Plan ($9.4 million); Textbooks/Digital Resources ($11.7 million)

House Budget Timeline

The full House budget, including details of employee compensation, is expected to be released Monday morning.  An all-day meeting of the full House Appropriations Committee is set for Tuesday to take up and amend the budget proposal.  From there, the budget is expected to move to the House floor on Wednesday and be approved Thursday.  We also know that the bill number for the budget bill will be HB 1030.

Notable Bills Filed This Week

HB 1080- Achievement School District.  Rep. Rob Bryan’s legislation to mandate that certain low-performing schools be turned over to charter operators via an Achievement School District was officially filed this week.  The bill is HB 1080.  NCSBA opposes this bill because of the significant mechanical and structural problems with dividing school operation responsibility in addition to the lack of evidence of success with this model in other states with this model.  Click here to read more via NCSBA’s Issue Brief.

SB 862- Opp. Scholarships Forward Funding.  This bill was filed by Sen. Chad Barefoot (R-Wake).  It would significantly increase funding for the Opportunity Scholarship voucher program.  A reserve fund would be created for voucher awards and there would be an automatic transfer of funds from the General Fund to this reserve fund that would automatically increase each year.  Funding for the program would be increased from $17.6 million to $44.8 million for the 2018-19 school year.  This number would rise by $10 million each year thereafter until it reaches $134.8 million in the 2027-28 school year.

New Bills: Click here to see all NCSBA-tracked bills that were filed this week.

Upcoming Legislative Meetings and Events

Monday, May 16

10:00 AM
The House will convene for session.

11:30 AM
The Senate will convene for session.

Tuesday, May 17

9:30 AM
The House Appropriations Committee will meet to take up the House budget.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

State Budget Update

The Senate and House have agreed on a $22.225 billion spending target for the 2016-17 fiscal year State budget.  This is approximately 0.5% smaller than the total State spending proposal put forward by Gov. McCrory.  It also exceeds the 2% spending increase over the 2015-16 budget that the Senate leader has publicly mentioned.  Agreeing on a total State spending target up front should significantly speed up the budgeting process.

On Thursday, the House Education Appropriations Committee, along with the other House appropriation committees, were given their spending targets.  The chairs indicated that they would be working over the weekend and would have something for the Committee’s consideration on Tuesday or no later than Wednesday.  If this schedule is adhered to the House version of the budget could be completed within the next two weeks.

The House Education Appropriations Committee met three times this week to review the current budgets of and listen to expansion requests from each of the three public education sectors: K-12, Community Colleges, and Universities.  The SBE’s expansion requests for 2016-17 include: teacher pay, digital learning enhancements, professional development, funding for school turnaround efforts, leadership programs for administrators, instructional supplies, assistant principals, nurses, child nutrition, and Cooperative Innovative High Schools.  State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. June Atkinson and State Board Chair Bill Cobey appeared at Tuesday’s House Ed Appropriations Committee hearing to talk about those SBE budget priorities.  You can watch a video of those remarks here and here.  A video of legislators posing questions to Dr. Atkinson and Chairman Cobey is here.

On Thursday, the Committee took public comments including from NCSBA.

LEA/Charter Fund Sharing Issue

HB 539
It is important that you continue to communicate with your House member(s) in opposition to HB 539, the legislation to shift funds from LEAs to charter schools.  Make sure legislators understand the pots of monies that are at risk if the bill becomes law.  Click here to learn more about the pots of monies that HB 539 would obligate school districts to share.  Remember that HB 539 can come up at any moment and would receive only an up or down vote (not amendable) on the House floor. There was some indication earlier this week that the bill might move as early as yesterday.  That was later averted when a meeting was set up for groups representing LEAs and charter schools this upcoming Monday.

Video and Grassroots Advocacy
Also be sure to continue sharing the video that touches on the LEA/charter school funding sharing issue.  The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/Ai1al22B3DU

Also use this fact sheet on the issue at this link: https://ncsbac.org/charter-school-funding-issues

Alternative Charter School Funding Model

During the break between legislative sessions, NCSBA and NCASA convened a group of school board members, superintendents, finance officers, and board attorneys to see if we could develop another way to provide funding for charter schools.

The proposed new funding model, which is described here, provides charter schools with their own funding streams at both the State and local levels.  It is based upon charter schools being treated like a city LEA.  This proposal was approved by the NCSBA Board of Directors contingent upon approval of School Superintendents Association and a statewide convening of board chairs, superintendents, finance officers, and board attorneys.  In light of the meeting being set for Monday (see above story) this proposal was presented to a representative of the NC Public Charter Schools Association on Thursday so that it could be part of the discussions.

School Board Local Funding Lawsuit Authority

One of the top three legislative goals of the NC County Commissioners Associations is:

“Seek legislation to repeal the statutory authority under NCGS 115C-431(c) that allows local school boards to file suit against a county board of commissioners over county appropriations for education.

• The current version of HB561 includes a five-year moratorium on such lawsuits. The bill is in conference and is eligible for short session consideration.
• With more counties experiencing threats of lawsuits, more legislators are interested in the issue. Those from counties that have experienced more extreme conflict between commissioners and school boards have grown more adamant that the issue be addressed.
• Please continue communicating with your House member(s) in opposition to the provision in HB 561 that would put a moratorium on school board legal challenges to local funding.

Talking Points on HB 561 to Communicate to House Members

• If passed, HB 561 has the potential to significantly alter the balance between school boards and county commissions.
• The threat of school boards utilizing the legal action option gives county commissioners incentive to negotiate and take school board concerns seriously both during the normal budget development process and mediation.
• Without the legal action option, county commissioners would have no reason to move away from their position on local funding, making the mediation process essentially meaningless.
• There is also the question of how local boards of education will fulfill the constitutional obligation to provide an opportunity for a sound, basic education if this option is not available. The only other option would be the State.
• The House has already spoken on this issue last session when it voted down a bill to permanently revoke this authority.

Bills

New Bills: Click here to see NCSBA-tracked bills that were filed this week.

Upcoming Legislative Meetings and Events

Monday, May 9

11:30 AM
The Senate will convene.

3:00
The House will convene.

Tuesday, May 10

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

Session Begins

Lawmakers returned to Raleigh this week to formally begin the 2016 legislative “short” session.  Most of the week’s business focused on bill filings and committee hearings.  Appropriations committees met to learn more details about the Governor’s budget proposals (see below).

There will be a few new faces in the General Assembly this session due to various circumstances that arose during the interim.

LEA/Charter Fund Sharing

Please continue to communicate with your House member(s) about HB 539.  Talk to them about the kinds of monies your school district would have to transfer if the bill becomes law.  Click here to learn more about the pots of monies that HB 539 would obligate school districts to share.  Use that document to help you communicate with your House member(s).  Also be sure to continue sharing the video that touches on this issue.  The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/Ai1al22B3DU

Voucher Expansion Bill

A bill has been filed in the North Carolina House that would make changes to the Opportunity Scholarship and special education voucher programs.  The most significant change proposed by HB 955 is to increase the portion of eligible students in kindergarten and first grade that can receive the Opportunity Scholarship voucher from 35% to 45% and to no longer factor in siblings of voucher recipients, siblings of a public school student or those whose parents are full time military (see below) in the calculation of the 45% ceiling.  This language would provide public subsidies to many families that may not have had any plans to enroll their children in public schools anyway.  It is likely to substantially inflate the perceived demand for vouchers and thus give the proponents an argument to increase funding for the program.

Another change made by HB 955 is that eligibility for the Opportunity Scholarship and special education voucher programs would extend to children whose parent/legal guardian is on full-time duty status in the military.  It also makes changes to how funds for the special education voucher program will be remitted to the non-public school that the parent or guardian chooses.  HB 969 and SB 742 have also been filed and solely deal with adding children whose parent/legal guardian is on full-time duty status in the military.

County Commissioners Association

One of the top three legislative goals of the NC County Commissioners Associations is:

“Seek legislation to repeal the statutory authority under NCGS 115C-431(c) that allows local school boards to file suit against a county board of commissioners over county appropriations for education.

• The current version of HB561 includes a five-year moratorium on such lawsuits. The bill is in conference and is eligible for short session consideration.
• With more counties experiencing threats of lawsuits, more legislators are interested in the issue. Those from counties that have experienced more extreme conflict between commissioner and school boards have grown more adamant that the issue be addressed.
• Please communicate with your House member(s) in opposition to the provision in HB 561 that would put a moratorium on school board legal challenges to local funding.

Talking Points on HB 561 to Communicate to House Members

• If passed, HB 561 has the potential to significantly alter the balance between school boards and county commissions.
• The threat of school boards utilizing the legal action option gives county commissioners incentive to negotiate and take school board concerns seriously both during the normal budget development process and mediation.
• Without the legal action option, county commissioners would have no reason to move away from their position on local funding, making the mediation process essentially meaningless.
• There is also the question of how local boards of education will fulfill the constitutional obligation to provide an opportunity for a sound, basic education if this option is not available. The only other option would be the State.
• The House has already spoken on this issue last session when it voted down a bill to permanently revoke this authority.

Fines/Forfeitures

House/Senate companion bills were filed this week to award $272,000 in wrongfully withheld improper equipment fines to the Richmond County Board of Education.  Lawmakers created a $50 improper equipment fine in 2011 but directed that the proceeds should go to fund inmate costs instead of to public schools.  A lawsuit was then filed by the Richmond school board contending that having the proceeds to go jails instead of public schools violated the NC constitution.  The Court of Appeals agreed and awarded $272,000 in collected fines to the Richmond board.  Another 81 boards of education have filed similar complaints over the fine.  The bills to direct the money to the Richmond school board are HB 953 (filed by Rep. Ken Goodman) and SB 756 (sponsored by Sen. Tom McInnis).
The House chief budget writer said legislators will be discussing how much money to return and where it should go. “I think what the General Assembly will do, we’re going to thoroughly review what our options are and what our requirements need to be and will work to make sure we are resolving the issue so that everybody can move forward and understand what the parameters will be,” said Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake).

Issue Brief on Achievement School Districts
We mentioned last week that we were putting together an Issue Brief to provide more details and background on the Achievement School District bill.  That Issue Brief is now complete and you can find it here.

Governor’s Budget

Gov. Pat McCrory released details of his proposed budget adjustments for the 2016-17 fiscal year. The centerpiece of his proposal is to raise teacher salaries on average 5% and restore annual experience-based step increases to the salary schedule.  Annual step increases would range between $500 and $1,100 under the new schedule, with annual salary topping out at $50,000 by year 20.  This would set the average salary for teachers in North Carolina to $50,000 (this calculation includes local supplements).  The Governor also wants to give $5,000 one-time bonuses to teachers with 25 + years of experience and $1,100 bonuses to all other teachers.  The teacher salary package would cost approximately $260 million in recurring dollars with the bonuses costing another $166.1 million.

School administrators would also receive experienced-based step increases and bonuses while non-certified staff would get an average 3% bonus under the Governor’s proposal.
Other notable K-12 items in the Governor’s budget include fully funding ADM growth for the 2016-17 fiscal year and increasing funding for instructional supplies/equipment and digital learning through the lottery.

Click here to see the new teacher salary schedule proposed by the Governor.

Click here to see the K-12 provisions of the Governor’s budget.

Bills

New Bills: Click here to see NCSBA-tracked bills that had action this week.
Upcoming Legislative Meetings and Events

Monday, May 2

The House will convene at 3:00 PM
The Senate will convene at 7:00 PM

Tuesday, May 3

8:30 AM
The House Ed Appropriations Committee will meet.

Wednesday, May 4

8:30 AM
The House Ed Appropriations Committee will meet.

Thursday, May 5

8:30 AM
The House Ed Appropriations Committee will meet.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

Legislative Short Session Starts in April

The 2016 legislative “short session” begins April 25.  Over the next few weeks various interim committees will be finishing up their work and voting on recommendations for the General Assembly.  Any bills that are recommended by an interim committee are eligible for consideration during the short session.

2016 Primary

The 2016 primary election for statewide offices and state legislative seats was held on March 15.

Click here for a list of former and current school board members who had a primary opponent and won.

Click here for the other former/current school board members who will be moving on to the November general elections and did not face an opponent in a primary.

Achievement School Districts

The House Select Committee on Achievement School Districts met on March 30.  At this meeting, Rep. Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg), the primary sponsor of draft legislation to establish an Achievement School District in North Carolina, unveiled the most recent version of the legislation.  The new version, which you can read here, would allow school districts that transfer a school to the ASD to also establish Innovation Zones, which are areas where school districts can operate up to three low-performing schools with charter-like exemptions.  Unless school districts are allowed to transfer other types of schools into these Innovation Zones, the Innovation Zones provision would not allow school districts to do anything they cannot already do.

NCSBA continues to have significant concerns about the ASD approach based upon the lack of evidence of success with this model in other states.  There are also concerns about liability, ownership, financial responsibilities, FERPA, transportation, employment, enrollment, the memorandum of understanding, vague language and low standards.  Click here to find a detailed list of these concerns, which has also been shared with members of the select committee.

Rep. Bryan intends to have this committee meet one more time before session starts to vote on whether to recommend this draft bill to the full legislature for the short session.   Watch for further alerts on this bill in the weeks ahead.

Other Presentations

• Malika Anderson, Superintendent of the Tennessee Achievement School District, talked about what she feels have been the successes of the Achievement School District she oversees and the lessons that North Carolina can take from the Tennessee experience.  You can watch her presentation here.
• Dr. Gary Henry of Vanderbilt University reviewed findings from his research into the Tennessee  Achievement School District.  Dr. Henry’s research has found Tennessee’s ASD experience to be largely unsuccessful but one component, areas in which school districts can operate schools with charter-like flexibility, has shown some promise.  You can watch Dr. Henry’s presentation here.
• Joshua Glazer of George Washington University also discussed the shortcomings of the Tennessee ASD and gave some insight into why the ASD model is inherently difficult.  You can watch his presentation here.

Education Strategy and Practices

The House Select Committee on Education Strategy and Practices met on March 24 and discussed the following pertinent topics:

Revisions to the Standard Course of Study

The Committee was informed of DPI’s plans to review and make modifications to the Standard Course of Study, guided in part by the recommendations of the Academic Standards Review Commission.  Dr. Rebecca Garland, Deputy State Superintendent, told the Committee that there will likely be substantial revisions to the Math II and Math III high school standards.  Implementation of those changes could begin as soon as the 2016-17 school year.  DPI’s standards review committee will look at changes to the K-8 Math standards this Fall.  The plan still needs to be approved by the State Board of Education.  You can watch this presentation here.

Draft Bills

Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) shared copies of a five-part bill he is drafting for the upcoming session that would touch on several K-12 topics as follows:

Part 1 would place a cap on the monetary value of severance packages local superintendents can receive.

Part 2 would provide that the salaries of individual classroom teachers are no longer a public record.

Part 3 would allow teachers who earn a Master’s or advanced degree to teach in the subject area of their degree without needing a teaching license.  However, the proposal would not reestablish salary supplements for teachers with Master’s and advanced degrees.

Part 4 would expedite licensing for spouses of active duty military personnel.

Part 5 would allow educators who move into higher paying roles (teacher to assistant principal, assistant principal to principal, etc.) to earn as much as they would have made in the previous position regardless of whether there has been a break in service.

You can watch Rep. Stam discuss his bill here. You can take a look at the draft bill here.

Cooperative Innovative High Schools

The Committee heard from several individuals about the successes and challenges of Cooperative Innovative High Schools.

College and Career Ready Diploma Endorsements 

An update was given on the impact of high school diploma endorsements that were approved in 2013.

Charter Schools Advisory Board

The NC Charter Schools Advisory Board met on March 7 and 8.  This month’s meeting focused on conducting interviews with groups seeking a charter for 2017-18 and taking action on those applications.

Through March, the Board has forwarded 10 applications to the State Board of Education for approval and voted down another 10 applications.  One applicant has received a tie vote (will be settled by the SBE) and one applicant withdrew.  The Board has five applications remaining for interviews.

Below are the charter groups that have been recommended for approval to the State Board:

Addie C. Morris Children’s School (Forsyth)
Bonnie Cone Classical (Mecklenburg)
Discovery (Durham)
Emereau: Bladen (Bladen)
Emereau: Halifax (Halifax)
Johnston Charter Academy (Johnston)
Montcross Charter (Gaston)
Movement School (Mecklenburg)
Ridgeview Charter (Gaston)
Rolesville Charter (Wake)

Next Generation Charter Academy in Guilford received a tie vote and will be discussed by the State Board when they take up the remaining applications.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

Special Session on Redistricting

Lawmakers returned to Raleigh this month to hold a special session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional maps following a federal judge’s ruling that two of the districts were racially gerrymandered and unconstitutional. The redrawn map can be found here. The maps must receive court approval before officially going into effect.

As a result of the new maps, lawmakers moved the NC congressional primaries to June 7. No other business was taken up during this special session. If you want to see if you are in a new congressional district as a result of the redrawn map you can click here to find out.

Education Oversight

The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee met on February 2 and discussed the following pertinent topics:

The Every Student Succeeds Act

State Superintendent June Atkinson and DPI Director of Data, Research, and Federal Policy Dr. Lou Fabrizio updated legislators on The Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal law that has replaced No Child Left Behind. Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Fabrizio talked about: the new law’s major components; how the law compares to NC’s current requirements; and major implementation actions that need to be taken over the next few years. To see the materials provided as part of this presentation click here, here, here, here, here, and here.

You can watch the full presentation here.

Work Experience Credit/Licensure

Rebecca Garland, Deputy State Superintendent, and Dave Fairall, HR Director of Lexington City Schools, talked about the State Board’s experience with giving teachers credit for non-teaching work experience. Some committee members questioned whether this process should be done more at the local level. You can view the presentation materials here.

Juvenile Literacy Study

The Honorable Ann Marie Calabria and Anna Hedgepeth talked about an initiative in Wake County called the Juvenile Literacy Center program. This program provides direct one-on-one tutoring to court-involved youth. The Ed Oversight committee was directed by the legislature to study this program and make recommendations on expansion. Click here to see the presentation materials.

Education Strategy and Practices

The House Select Committee on Education Strategy and Practices met on February 24 & 25 and discussed the following pertinent topics:

Principal Salaries

Alexis Schauss of DPI came back before the committee to answer some lingering questions that had been prompted by her January presentation on principal compensation.

Early Childhood Education

John Pruette, Executive Director of DPI’s Office of Early Learning, reviewed research evidence demonstrating that Pre-K programs work well. You can view his presentation materials here.

Joan Lord, Vice-President of the Southern Regional Education Board, discussed the findings and recommendations of her group’s Early Childhood Commission report. You can view her presentation materials here.

Mark W. Lipsey, Vanderbilt University, presented some findings that Pre-K programs have yielded mixed results nationally. He also talked about some additional factors that must be considered in evaluating Pre-K programs. You can view his presentation materials here.

Sydney Atkinson with the Division of Public Health discussed the State’s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program. You can view her materials here.

Principal Leadership and Preparation

The committee heard from a series of speakers, including administrators with experience in low-performing schools, talking about how to cultivate strong school leaders.

Betty Fry, Southern Regional Education Board: Materials here; Video here

Dr. Pascal Mubenga, Franklin County superintendent: Materials here; Video here

Jan Wagner and Larry Hodgkins, Martin County school administrators: Materials here; Video here

Dr. Steve Tozer, University of Illinois Chicago Professor: Materials here; Video here

The individual presentations were followed by a panel discussion between lawmakers and the presenters which you can watch here.

ESSA

There were two presentations on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and how it will impact state education systems:

Lee Posey with the National Conference of State Legislatures: Materials here; Video here

Claire Voorhees with the Foundation for Excellence in Education:  Materials here; Video here

Buildings/Infrastructure Commission

A new Blue Ribbon Commission tasked with studying the capital infrastructure needs of the state held its first meeting on February 22. This commission is a mix of legislators and members of the public representing various groups across the state that have an interest in capital infrastructure, including school boards, county commissions, cities, the UNC system, the Community College system, and the NC Chamber of Commerce. School boards are being represented on the commission by Mr. Barry Shoemaker, a member of the Cabarrus County school board. Click here to see all the members of this commission.

At this first meeting, the Commission received an overview of how public school building construction/renovation projects are funded. There was also a presentation on the funding of  community college and other State capital projects.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

Select Committee on Achievement School Districts

A special House committee formed to examine Achievement School District (ASD) legislation held its inaugural meeting on January 27.  A bill from Rep. Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg) under discussion in the House proposes to move up to five of the state’s lowest performing schools out from under their local boards of education and place them under a separate ASD run by a Superintendent hired by the State Board of Education.  The ASD would contract with charter management organizations (EMOs) to run the ASD schools.  The bill went through over 40 drafts behind the scenes last session but never received a public hearing or action in the General Assembly.  Twelve House members have been appointed to this select committee that will analyze the concept of ASD and make recommendations for the short session.

At the January 27 meeting, the Committee discussed the following pertinent topics:

Current State Turnaround Efforts

A DPI official told the committee about a program the State already has in place to help struggling schools.  Dr. Nancy Barbour, Director of DPI’s Division of District and School Transformation, outlined the initiatives her division provided to the bottom 5% of schools from 2010-14 using Race to the Top funds.  Through targeted efforts around technology, professional development, coaching, and other school improvement initiatives, Dr. Barbour told the committee that 83% of these schools moved out of the bottom 5% and 67% moved out of the bottom 10%.  While acknowledging successes in the State’s current efforts, some committee members expressed concern that the pace of turnaround is still too slow in many areas of the state.

Plans for Upcoming Meetings

It is anticipated that the February meeting will feature experts on ASD programs in other states and also allow time for public comment.  NCSBA has significant concerns about this approach based upon the lack of evidence of success in other states.  This along with eight pages of concerns and questions about the particulars of the bill have been shared with Rep. Bryan.  The committee is expected to vote on ASD recommendations/legislative proposals in March.

House Select Committee on Education Strategy and Practices

The House Select Committee on Education Strategy and Practices held meetings on January 27 and 28.

On January 27, the Committee received presentations on and discussed the following pertinent topics:

Teacher Pay Suggestions and Perspectives

Presenters
Dr. June Atkinson, NC Superintendent of Public Instruction

Materials: here, here, here, and here.

Watch the Presentation here

Dr. Trip Stallings, Director of Policy Research, The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University

Materials: here, here, and here

Watch the Presentation here

Dr. Terry Stoops, Director of Education Studies, John Locke Foundation

Materials: here

Watch the Presentation here

Brenda Berg, President and CEO, BEST NC

Materials: here

Watch the Presentation here

Presentation Highlights

Dr. Atkinson suggested that lawmakers institute a 10% across-the-board salary increase for classroom teachers, estimated to cost approximately $540 million.  This suggestion was publicly rebuked by Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland), who called it unrealistic.  You can read more about Speaker Moore’s response to Dr. Atkinson here.

Dr. Atkinson also suggested that an effective pay system would “layer” additional compensation models on top of base salary to improve retention of effective teachers and target personnel in low-performing schools.  The approach she suggested would be to provide supplemental pay for teachers who assume additional responsibilities and duties, then add pay incentives for staffing at low-performing schools, and finally provide bonuses for teachers in schools that exceed growth.

Dr. Stallings told the committee that there is no research-based evidence that pay-for-performance programs alone impact student outcomes or teacher behavior.  Lawmakers should focus on funding multiple differentiated pay pilots involving strategic staffing initiatives.

Dr. Stoops reviewed the five most important considerations for raising teacher quality.

Ms. Berg discussed the changing nature of the state’s workforce and made recommendations from BEST NC’s perspective on addressing teacher recruitment and retention challenges.

_________________________________________
On January 28, the Committee received presentations on and discussed the following pertinent topics:

School Administrator Salaries

Presenters

Alexis Schauss, Director of of School Business Administration, DPI

Materials: here, here, here
Watch the Presentation here

Presentation Highlights

Ms. Schauss discussed how Principals and Assistant Principals are compensated in North Carolina, some of the major changes that have occurred in administrator compensation over the past few decades, and significant challenges of the current pay structure.

Superintendent Perspectives

A group of local superintendents were invited to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns with the committee.  Most of their comments focused on the importance of teacher pay.  The superintendents who spoke were:

Greg Little, Mt. Airy

Sean Bulson, Wilson

Dr. Beverly Emory, Winston-Salem/Forsyth

Dr. John Parker, Roanoke Rapids

Mark Garrett, McDowell

Dr. Frank Till, Cumberland

Dr. Barry Williams, Gates

Jeff Booker, Gaston
To watch a video of the superintendent remarks click here.

Charter Schools Advisory Board

The NC Charter Schools Advisory Board met on January 11 and 12.  The Board took the following notable actions.

2017-18 Charter School Applications

The Board interviewed five (5) applicant groups seeking to open a charter school in 2017-18.  Three (3) of the interviewed applicants were recommended to the State Board of Education and one (1) was not recommended.  The Board deadlocked on whether to recommend the fifth applicant, Next Generation Academy (Guilford County) to the State Board.  Board members disagreed over whether the “need” for the school in its proposed Greensboro location outweighed an unclear educational plan/mission statement.  When it came time to vote on recommending Next Generation, the Board split 5-5.  The State Board will be notified of this tie vote when it takes up the 2017-18 recommended applicants.

Of 28 charter applicants for 2017-18, six (6) have been recommended for approval and 17 are still awaiting interviews.

For a complete status update on 2017-18 charter applicants click here.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial

The 2015 long session concluded in the early morning of Wednesday, September 30.  The 2016 short session is set to begin April 25, 2016, which is approximately three weeks earlier than usual. NCSBA has assembled two documents to give you an understanding of how the 2015 session affected local school boards and public schools.

• The first document is the 2015 NCSBA Legislative Summary: a summary of all the relevant bills and budget provisions enacted in the 2015 session that affect local school boards and public schools. Please click here to find the 2015 NCSBA Legislative Summary.
• The second document is a narrative highlighting NCSBA’s activities representing local boards of education at the legislature this session. Click here to find that document.

Several state lawmakers have resigned or announced that they will not be seeking reelection in 2016. Those lawmakers are:

House Members

• Rep. Bryan Holloway (R-Stokes). Rep. Hollway resigned his seat on Monday, October 26, and has joined the NCSBA Governmental Relations team as Associate Director of Governmental Relations.
• Rep. Paul Tine (U-Dare) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Leo Daughtry (R-Johnston) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. J. H. Langdon (R-Johnston) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Rayne Brown (R-Davidson) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer (R-Mecklenburg) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Nathan Baskerville (D-Vance) won’t seek reelection
• Rep. Brian Brown (R-Pitt) resigned to take a position with US Senator Tillis
• Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) resigned in September to become the Executive Director of the NC Justice Center

 Senators

• Sen. Stan Bingham (R-Davidson) won’t seek reelection
• Sen. Josh Stein (D-Wake) expected to run for Attorney General
• Sen. Buck Newton (R-Nash) expected to run for Attorney General

DPI received 28 applications from groups wishing to open a charter school in August 2017. The deadline for applications for this cycle was September 25. The Charter Schools Advisory Board will be reviewing these applications over the next several months. The districts with the highest number of groups seeking charters for this cycle was CMS (6 applications) followed by Wake (4 applications). Click here to see the full list of charter applicants and the county in which they are seeking to operate.

Registration is now open for NCSBA’s third public policy conference December 10-11 at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill.  Several hot topics and notable presenters are on the conference agenda. Dr. Helen Ladd, Professor of Public Policy and Economics with Duke University, will talk about her recent findings of increased charter school segmentation. UNC Distinguished Professor Dr. James Johnson will highlight how demographic changes across the country are having an effect on North Carolina’s public schools.  Former lawmakers Rick Glazier and Bryan Holloway will share insights and knowledge learned from their time serving at the legislature. NCSBA Governmental Relations department staff will talk about legislative issues likely to arise in the 2016 session. A full agenda will be published soon.

Click here to register and find hotel information for the conference.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association 
(919) 606-3916 mobile