On Wednesday the House and Senate convened to vote on a bill that would modify the 2022 primary election date and candidate filing period. HB 605: 2022 Primary Date pushes the primary election date from May 17 to June 7 and sets the candidate filing period for all offices on the 2022 ballot to begin at 8:00 am on March 24 and end at 5:00 pm on April 1. HB 605 passed the Senate on a 26-17 party-line vote and then passed the House on 69-50 party-line vote. The bill has been presented to the Governor.
The introduction and passage of HB 605 follow the State Supreme Court’s announcement that it will hear arguments on the newly drawn State legislative and congressional district maps on February 2. Last week a three-judge panel reached a decision to uphold these maps, but the decision was then appealed to the Supreme Court.
Last month the Supreme Court pushed back the primary election date from March 8 to May 17, as redistricting litigation progressed. Additionally, last week the State Board of Elections announced new candidate filing period dates, which are different from the dates included in HB 605.
Republican supporters of HB 605 say that it will give the legislature ample time to redraw district maps, if needed based on the Supreme Court’s decision. Democrats in opposition of HB 605 stated that there is no need for the legislature to intervene in the court’s process and attempt to solve a problem before it exists. Additionally, it was noted that this new June 7 date would interfere with the last week of school, which supporters of the bill said had not yet been considered.
It is not clear if Governor Cooper plans to sign or veto HB 605, but a spokesman for the Governor’s office is quoted by the News & Observer saying “The Supreme Court will determine the constitutionality of these districts and legislators should avoid additional attempts to undermine the voting process.”
Click here for an official bill summary.
On Tuesday, the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee met and received presentations on a plan for a new teacher licensure process and teacher recruitment. The new teacher licensure process proposal was presented by Dr. Patrick Miller, Chair of the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission and Superintendent of Greene County Schools, and Dr. Tom Tomberlin, Director of Educator Recruitment and Support at DPI. The objective is to create a more open teacher pipeline that is outcomes-based, and presenters stated that this plan could result in higher teacher pay. Click here to read more about this plan and goals for its implementation.
As of January 21,
- 27 school districts have mask optional policies (six have mask optional policies with certain stipulations)
- 88 school districts have mask mandates (two have mask mandates because the district reached a certain positivity rate)
The number of districts that require masks has remained the same since last Friday, January 14.
NCSBA continues to track local school boards’ mask policies as districts vote monthly on whether to modify their current policy (required by Section 10 of SB 654/SL 2021-130). Click here to access a chart of school board actions. If your school district changes its mask policy or you have corrections to the chart, please email information to Rebekah Howard at rhoward@ncsba.org.
On Monday, January 24, at 1:00 pm the newly created House Select Committee on An Education System for North Carolina’s Future will be meeting for the first time in the Legislative Offices Building, rm 544 (live stream).
Bruce Mildwurf
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
bmildwurf@ncsba.org
Rebekah Howard
Governmental Relations Research Specialist
N.C. School Boards Association
rhoward@ncsba.org