NCSBA Legislative Update – April 12, 2019

NCSBA Legislative Update – April 12, 2019

by North Carolina School Boards Association last updated on June 4, 2019

Legislative Public Policy Conference

The NCSBA Legislative Public Policy Conference is scheduled for April 30/May 1 in Raleigh at the NCSBA building.

Click the agenda link below to view our modified conference schedule. The following presenters have been added to the agenda:

  • Senator Rick Horner (R-Nash, Johnston): Former School Board Chair; Chairs Senate Education/Higher Education committee; Member of Senate Appropriations on Education/Higher Education committee, Joint Task Force on Education Finance Reform, and Joint Education Oversight committee.
  • Representative Kevin Corbin (R- Macon, Cherokee, Clay, Graham): Former School Board Chair; House Deputy Majority Whip; Member of House Education K-12 committee and Joint Task Force on Education Finance Reform.
  • Representative Ashton Clemmons (D-Guilford): Former Principal and Assistant Superintendent; House Democratic Freshman Co-Chair; Member of House Education K-12 committee, House Education Universities committee, and House Committee on School Safety.
  • Senator Don Davis (D-Greene, Pitt): Member of Senate Education/Higher Education committee and Appropriations on Education/Higher Education committee.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CONFERENCE AGENDA 

The registration rate is $325. Click here to register.

 

Education Bills Passed by House and Sent to Senate

HB 90: DPI/EC Div. Feedback/DIT Study/PED report

  • Primary Sponsors: Horn, R-Union; Farmer-Butterfield, D-Wilson
  • This bill would require DPI to develop a system that would evaluate the Exceptional Children Division’s technical assistance and support programs that it provides to LEAs.
  • Passed 113-0

HB 276: Modify Low-Performing School Definitions

  • Primary Sponsors: Riddell, R-Alamance; Fraley, R-Iredell; Ross, R-Alamance
  • This bill would modify the definition of a low-performing school to not include a school that earned a growth score of “met expected growth”.
  • Passed 112-1

Representative Riddell presenting HB 276

 

HB 340: Amend Appt For Compact on Education/Military

  • Primary Sponsors: Martin, D-Wake; Cleveland, R-Onslow; Bell, R-Wayne
  • This bill would delete the requirement that an individual appointed to represent a LEA with a high concentration of military children be an attorney.
  • Passed 114-0

HB 411: Modify School Qual./Student Success Indicator

  • Primary Sponsors: Horn, R-Union; Corbin, R-Macon; Elmore, R-Wilkes; Johnson, R-Cabarrus
  • This bill would combine the career and college readiness indicators used in school performance grades, in compliance with federal law.
  • Passed 114-0

 

Education Bills Passed by Senate and Sent to House

SB 227: Broaden Charter School Sibling Priority

  • Primary Sponsor: Tillman, R-Randolph
  • This bill would broaden the charter school enrollment sibling priority to include siblings who apply to a charter school for admission beginning in the same school year, but one sibling was not initially admitted due to grade level capacity. The bill would also broaden the definition of full-time employee to include contract employees for the 15% priority enrollment of the school’s board of directors and employees.
  • Passed 50-0

SB 301: Regional School Transportation

  • Primary Sponsor: Brown, R-Onslow
  • This bill would extend the current study on regional schools and clarify the transportation requirements for participating units to require transportation to be substantially similar to the transportation provided to students in the 2018-19 school year.
  • Passed 31-19

SB 343: Changes to Education Reports

  • Primary Sponsor: Ballard, R-Watauga
  • This bill would revise education reporting requirements to include development and implementation of policies related to improving outcomes for students with disabilities and the implementation of high school diploma endorsements. The bill would also require LEAs to report the start and end dates for the instructional calendar by April 1 of each year.
  • Passed 44-0

 

Action on Bills

Passed House Ed. K-12 & Referred to House Ed. Appropriations

Passed Senate Ed. & Referred to Senate Rules
HB 199: Permanent Charter School Transportation Grant SB 391: Expand Youth Internship Opportunities
HB 552: After-School Robotics Grants/Athletics SB 392: Superint. May Approve Charter Facility Bonds
HB 571: Changes to Advanced Teaching Roles Program SB 476: Reaffirms Local Control of Discipline Policies

 

Bills of Note

SB 580: Classroom Supplies to Teachers

HB 490: Winston-Salem/Forsyth Bd. Of Ed/Stagger Terms

  • Primary Sponsors: Lambeth, R-Forsyth; Conrad, R-Forsyth
  • WS/Forsyth School Board Vice Chair, Barbara Burke, told committee members that the local school board opposed the effort to stagger terms by a 6-3 margin.
  • The committee vote was a 10-10 tie. As a result, HB 490 failed to pass out of State and Local Government. It currently remains in that committee and is eligible to be heard again.

 

Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education – April 11

The Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education discussed the community school model, statewide assessment and accountability systems, the history of NC school turnaround efforts, and statewide regional support structure. Jessica Cardichon of the Learning Policy Institute presented to committee members five opportunity indicators that should be utilized in an accountability assessment: suspension rates, school climate, chronic absenteeism, extended-year graduation rates, and college-and-career readiness. Cardichon emphasized the strong correlation between school climate and teacher/principal retention rates, which also affects student’s social and emotional development. Commission members were left with the proposed goal to ensure that improvement across all indictors is monitored and to use this improvement data to inform future school growth and funding decisions.

Director of Leadership Program at NC State, Dr. Pat Ashley, presented an extensive history of school transformation in North Carolina. She explained how multiple school turnaround initiatives often have competing components, which cause them to be less effective. Dr. Ashely also highlighted the importance of having a strong and effective principal in place. Without leadership that is able to gain support, turnaround models usually end quickly. Click here to access all agenda items and presentation resources.

 

April 15-18 Legislative Meeting Calendar

Monday, April 15

3:00 pm – House: Rules, Calendar, and Operations – Legislative Building, rm 1228/1327 (audio)

Tuesday, April 16

9:30 am – Senate: Rules – Legislative Building, rm 1027/1128 (audio)

10:00 am – House: Health – Legislative Office Building, rm 643 (audio)

1:00 pm – House: Education K-12 – Legislative Office Building, rm 643 (audio)

Wednesday, April 17

11:00 am – Senate: Education/Higher Education – Legislative Building, rm 1027/1228 (audio)

 

House Recess: April 17 – April 24

Senate Recess: April 22 – April 26

 

**REMINDER**

House deadline to file statewide bills and resolutions (not including appropriations or finance) is Tuesday, April 16.

 

 

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

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6692

Richard Bostic
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6677

Rebekah Howard
Governmental Relations Research Specialist
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 747-6688

North Carolina School Boards AssociationNCSBA Legislative Update – April 12, 2019