NCSBA Legislative Update – April 7, 2023

NCSBA Legislative Update – April 7, 2023

 

The House passed its version of the State budget this week on a 78-38 vote. This is the earliest the first version of the State budget has passed its designated chamber in several years. The House’s 2023-25 budget appropriates $29.8 billion in 2023-24 (6.5% increase) and $30.9 billion in 2024-25 (additional 3.75% increase). The House’s K-12 education budget is $11.7 billion for 2023-24 (4.1% increase) and $12.3 billion for 2024-25 (additional 4.5% increase).

Prior to passage, numerous amendments were presented and voted on. The following are two adopted education amendments to note:

  • Amendment 12 – postpones the requirement in Section 7.21 to reduce fourth and fifth grade class sizes until the 2024-25 school year (was the 2023-24 school year)
  • Amendment 3 – requires DPI to study how to better provide for children with disabilities with intensive needs

Education amendments that failed include pausing the expansion and increase in funding of the Opportunity Scholarship Program and removing Section 7.10 Academic Transparency and Section 7.11 Modernize Selection of Instructional Materials.

The following are K-12 education highlights of the House budget:

  • An average 10.2% teacher raise over the biennium (including step increases, master’s pay, and other supplements)
  • Reinstates master’s pay for teachers
  • Provides across-the-board salary increases of 4.25% in 2023-24 and 3.25% in 2024-25 for school district personnel
    • (These salary increases are included in the average 10.2% teacher raise)
    • Gives bus drivers an additional 2% raise in 2023-24
  • Provides funds for an additional 120 school nurse, psychologist, social worker, or counselor positions
  • Includes $40 million for school safety grants
  • Expands eligibility and increases funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Program

Click here for NCSBA’s summary of House education budget provisions and click here for NCSBA’s summary of House education budget appropriations. Our summaries include most (not all) of the House education budget.

Click here for the House budget bill and click here for the House budget money report.

Now the House budget will be sent to the Senate where Senate budget writers will release their own version, followed by collaboration between the two chambers to reach a budget compromise.

 

One of the highlights of this week was the passage of the House budget. Additionally, on Wednesday, Representative Tricia Cotham, who was elected as a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, announced that she is changing her party registration, which will give Republicans a supermajority in the House. This means that Republicans now have supermajorities in the House and the Senate, making both chambers vetoproof. Click here for an article that explains the potential ramifications of this new supermajority on public schools.

HB 219: Charter School Omnibus continues to sit in the House Rules Committee without a scheduled committee hearing. We encourage you to reach out to your House members to share your opposition to section 7 of this bill, which will take millions from local school districts each year. Here is a fact sheet that includes talking points and background information. As a reminder, we drafted a resolution in opposition to HB 219 for your board to utilize and tailor to your specific district.

Notable Bills Filed

On Thursday, SB 729: CBBC Working Group Changes (primary sponsors: Senators Jim Burgin, R-Harnett; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Carl Ford, R-Rowan) was filed. NCSBA had been in negotiations with the State Retirement System for roughly 18 months to improve the anti-pension spiking contribution-based benefit cap (CBBC) law. It was clear from the outset that we were not going to get all that we wanted.  However, SB 729 is the compromise both sides agreed to, which we believe is a significant improvement to the existing law. Click here to access NCSBA’s summary of SB 729.

On Monday, SB 499: School Calendar Compliance Act (primary sponsors: Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; Dean Proctor, R-Catawba; Lisa Barnes, R-Nash) was filed. This bill does the following:

  • Allows citizens and/or the State Superintendent to bring declaratory judgement actions against local school districts that are not in compliance with the school calendar law
  • Allows the State Superintendent to establish a pilot program of 10 school districts to participate in a remote instruction flexibility pilot program, allowing participating districts to establish a calendar for schools that use up to five days or 30 hours of remote instruction to administer exams prior to December 31

On Thursday, SB 670: Create New Weighted Student Funding Model (primary sponsors: Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; Amy Galey, R-Alamance; Lisa Barnes, R-Nash) was filed. This bill repeals all existing school funding allotments and changes the school funding model to a weighted student funding model.

On Tuesday, SB 573: School Finance Officer Employment Terms (primary sponsors: Senator Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck; Kevin Corbin, R-Macon; Mike Woodard, D-Durham) was filed. This bill changes the terms of employment for school finance officers to mirror those of assistant and associate superintendents and deletes language that requires school finance officers to serve at the pleasure of the superintendent. This change reflects one of NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda priorities, and you can read more about the issue in our School Finance Officer Issue Brief.

House Education Bill that Passed the Senate

On Wednesday, HB 149: Remote & Virtual Charter/CC Pres Confirmation (primary sponsors: Representatives Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes; Jon Hardister, R-Guilford; Erin Pare, R-Wake) passed the Senate on a 29-18 party-line vote. HB 149 does the following:

  • Extends the pilot program for the State’s two virtual charter schools from 10 to 11 years, ending the pilot with the 2025-26 school year
    • Authorizes increased student enrollment in each remaining year of the pilot program
    • At the end of the pilot program, allows the two virtual charter schools to apply to the State Board of Education (SBE) for a charter renewal
  • Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, allows new remote charter academy applications and charter modifications to include a remote charter academy to be submitted to SBE for approval.

The remote charter academy enrollment guidelines, approval process, operational and renewal requirements, and evaluation mirror requirements for local school district remote academies established in SL 2022-59.

Prior to approval of the bill by the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, two amendments were approved.

  • Amendment 1
    • Removes language that would have allowed the two virtual charter schools in the pilot program to receive funding over the current $790 per student cap
    • Allows a nonprofit that has a school code for in-person instruction and a school code for a remote charter academy to provide all financial reporting for both school codes jointly
  • Amendment 2
    • Requires the General Assembly to hold confirmation proceedings after the State Board of Community Colleges elects the president of the Community Colleges System

Much of the pushback from Democrats on HB 149 came from extending the virtual charter school pilot program and increasing those schools’ enrollment because of their continuously low-performing status. Republicans argued that there are many low-performing schools across the State, but these two virtual charter schools provide parents with a choice regarding their child’s education. Click here for an official bill summary.

Education Bills that Passed the House

Statewide Bills

On Tuesday, the following two bills unanimously passed the House and were sent to the Senate.

  • HB 172: Samantha Rose Davis Act (primary sponsor: Representative Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort)
    • Requires medical condition action plans for certain students and medical emergency plans in public school units
    • Click here for an official bill summary
  • HB 253: Prevent Students From Harm Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes; Kristin Baker, R-Cabarrus; Donna White, R-Johnston; Ashton Clemmons, D-Guilford)
    • Incorporates character education to address bullying and harassing behavior
    • Authorizes experienced nonprofits to provide child sexual abuse and sex trafficking training programs for educators
    • Provides age-appropriate information and resources on the prevention of suicide, abuse, and neglect as part of the health education curriculum
    • Click here for an official bill summary

Local Bill

On Tuesday, HB 452: Franklin Co. Bd. of Ed. Election Method (primary sponsor: Representative Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin) passed the House on a voice vote and was sent to the Senate. This bill changes the date and method of election of the Franklin County Board of Education to a nonpartisan primary and election method. Click here for an official bill summary.

Education Bill that Became Session Law

On Monday, HB 11: Schools for the Deaf and Blind (primary sponsors: Representatives Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson; Erin Pare, R-Wake; Dianne Wheatley, R-Cumberland) became law without the Governor’s signature, following 10 days of the Governor taking no action to sign or veto the bill. HB 11 does the following:

  • Establishes local boards of trustees to govern each of the State’s schools for the deaf or blind, taking away the State Board of Education’s authority as the sole governing agency and DPI’s administrative responsibilities and oversight of these schools
  • Upon request, for any prospective student the local superintendent is required to share current evaluation data and the current or proposed individualized education plan for that student
  • Allows these boards of trustees to collaborate with local boards of education in the development of rules, curriculum, and other matters

Click here for an official bill summary.

Education Bills Approved by House Committees

Statewide Bills

On Tuesday, HB 445: Closed Session Reminder (primary sponsors: Representatives Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin; Sam Watford, R-Davidson; Ben Moss, R-Richmond; Celeste Cairns, R-Carteret) had its first committee hearing when the House Local Government Committee approved the bill and referred it to the House Judiciary 1 Committee. HB 445 requires the presiding chair of all open meetings to remind the public body of the limited nature of discussion during a closed session. Click here for an official bill summary.

On Thursday, the following bills were approved by the House State Government Committee.

  • HB 201: DST Admin Changes.-AB (primary sponsor: Representative Carson Smith, R-Pender)
    • Makes administrative and conforming changes to the laws governing the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS) and other related statutes, as recommended by the Department of the State Treasurer
    • Click here for an official bill summary
  • HB 203: DST Technical Corrections.-AB (primary sponsors: Representatives Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland; Carson Smith, R-Pender)
    • Makes technical corrections and other conforming and clarifying changes to the laws governing TSERS and other related statutes, as recommended by the Department of the State Treasurer
    • Click here for an official bill summary

School Calendar Bills

Two statewide and 23 local school calendar bills have been filed during this legislative session. Both statewide bills were filed in the House, as well as 16 local bills. 12 of those local bills passed the House and were sent to the Senate. Seven local bills were filed in the Senate, and none of those local bills have had a committee hearing.

All local school calendar bills that were filed affect 56 school districts – nearly half the school districts in the State. Click here for a list of the affected school districts. Click here for a list of these school calendar bills.

 

The legislature is taking a spring break next week, but two notable education bills are scheduled to be heard in the House Education K-12 meeting on Tuesday, April 18, at 12:00 pm (livestream). These bills were previously scheduled to be presented during the Committee’s meeting on Tuesday, April 4, but that meeting was cancelled. The April 18 Committee meeting will be the first hearing for both bills.

HB 38: Entry Fees for HS Interscholastic Events (primary sponsors: Representatives Reece Pyrtle, R-Rockingham; Jason Saine, R-Lincoln; Ben Moss, R-Richmond; Charles Miller, R-Brunswick) requires cash to be an accepted form of payment when there is a fee to attend a high school interscholastic athletic event. This bill also requires the acceptance of a senior citizen’s “Tar Heel Card”, which is issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, for free admission to high school interscholastic athletic events. HB 38’s primary sponsor told NCSBA the motivation behind the bill is to ensure no student is turned away because they do not have a card to pay with or a phone with apps. Additionally, we believe HB 38 will be amended to remove the “Tar Heel Card” requirement. If you have concerns about the requirements in HB 38, we encourage you to contact your House member.

HB 314: Public School Ethics Training (primary sponsors: Representative Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland; Donna White, R-Johnston; Joseph Pike, R-Harnett) requires all employees of a local school district who are involved in the making or administering of contracts to receive a minimum of two hours of ethics training within 90 days of assuming the responsibility of making or administering contracts and continuous training in every odd-numbered year thereafter. This issue is included in NCSBA’s 2023-24 Legislative Agenda, and you can read more about in NCSBA’s Administrator Ethics Training Issue Brief.

 

The State Board of Education met for its monthly meeting on Wednesday and Thursday and was presented with the following:

Read to Achieve data: Board members were presented with mid-year Read to Achieve data that show North Carolina’s K-3 students continue to make gains in literacy skills during the second full year of the science of reading initiative. The data shows the percentage of NC students performing at or above the 2022-23 school year benchmark was both higher than beginning-of-year assessments and higher than results from other states or districts using the same assessment. Additionally, fewer NC students were well below benchmarks and in need of intensive interventions at the middle of the year versus the beginning of the year. Click here for a DPI press release on this data. Click here for an article on the data.

Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids: The Board heard a presentation about work to be done in public schools to identify and restrict/mitigate exposure to lead in water, lead-based paint, and asbestos hazards. Approximately 3,100 public schools will be tested and assessed using federal funds. To enroll for the program, click here. Priority will be given to (i) elementary schools, (ii) schools with more than 50% free and reduced lunch students, (iii) schools with more than 50% non-white students, and (iv) schools built prior to 1988.

Transforming Educator Learning in NC: Realizing the Potential of Micro-Credentials: The Board heard a presentation about micro-credentials and their potential to improve teacher retention and student learning. A high-quality micro-credential is “a verification of proficiency in a job-embedded discrete skill or competency that an educator has demonstrated through the submission of evidence assessed via defined evaluation criteria.” Presenters noted that the difference between micro-credentials and traditional professional development is that micro-credentials focus on verifiable outcomes, not just getting credits and completing a course. DPI’s digital learning grants, which began in 2017, include micro-credentials as a priority. Presenters stated that the 23 local school districts that have benefited from these grants serve as a valuable resource for expanding micro-credentials across the State. For more information, click here to access the report submitted to the Board.

Report on supplemental funds for teacher compensation: Board members were presented with a report on teacher supplements that were included in the 2021 and 2022 State budgets. In 2021, a new allotment was created to provide teachers, instructional support personnel, and qualifying school administrators salary supplements based on a county’s respective tax base, median household income, and effective tax rate. Click here for the report, which includes the average salary supplement per local school district. DPI was not able to report on the effect the salary supplements had on retention rates, as this report was the first on these new supplements.

Click here to access all meeting materials. Click here for an article on the meeting.

 

The local bill filing deadline for both the House and the Senate has passed. The public/statewide bill filing deadline for the Senate was yesterday, April 6, (extended from the original April 4 deadline) and the public/statewide bill filing deadline for the House is April 18 (House appropriations and finance bills must be filed by April 25). The following are additional education-related bills that were filed this week.

Statewide Bills

  • HB 562: Addressing the Workforce Housing Crisis (primary sponsors: Representatives John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg; Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth; Ashton Clemmons, D-Guilford)
    • Establishes workforce housing developments to address critical housing shortages for teachers, as well as firefighters, law enforcement officers, nurses, first responders, and other vital workers and first-time homebuyers
  • HB 566: Give State Retirees 2% COLA/Funds (primary sponsors: Representatives Rosa Gill, D-Wake; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland; Howard Penny, R-Harnett)
    • Provides a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for retires of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System
  • HB 574: Fairness In Women’s Sports Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson; Karl Gillespie, R-Macon; Erin Pare, R-Wake; Kristen Baker, R-Cabarrus)
    • Identical to SB 631 (primary sponsors: Senators Kevin Corbin, R-Macon; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Vickie Sawyer, R-Iredell)
    • Prohibits students recognized as biological males at birth from competing on women’s and girl’s sports teams
    • Provides public school units, their representatives, or their employees the right to legal recourse for harm suffered from complying with these new requirements
  • HB 581: Investing in North Carolina Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Rosa Gill, D-Wake; Charles Smith, D-Cumberland; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)
    • Identical to SB 652 (primary sponsors: Senators Val Applewhite, D-Cumberland; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford; DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg)
    • Provides raises for teachers and State employees
      • Creates a new teacher salary schedule with a starting salary of $41,000
    • Provides cost-of-living increases for retirees
      • 5% in 2023-24
      • 3% in 2024-25
    • SB 462: Highway Safety Omnibus/Additional Magistrates (primary sponsors: Senators Rachel Hunt, R-Mecklenburg; Natasha Marcus, R-Mecklenburg)
      • Identical to HB 527
      • Revises certain penalties for failure to stop for a school bus
    • SB 472: School Psychologists Omnibus (primary sponsors: Senators Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico; Kevin Corbin, R-Macon; Jim Burgin, R-Harnett)
      • Identical to SB 448 and SB 504
      • Also identical to HB 585 (primary sponsors: Kristen Baker, R-Cabarrus; David Willis, R-Union; Destin Hall, R-Caldwell; Tricia Cotham, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Provides salary supplements for school psychologists
      • Establishes the School Psychologist Grant Program within DPI to help school districts recruit and retain school psychologists
      • Adds a position in DPI for a recruitment and retention coordinator
      • Establishes an internship program for school psychologists
      • Creates a virtual school psychology training program at Appalachian State University
      • Increases funds for school psychologist training programs at Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Western Carolina UniversitySB 483: $17/hour Minimum Pay for Noncertified School Employees (primary sponsors: Senators Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford; Kandie Smith, D-Pitt)
        • Appropriates $144.7 million to raise the salary of noncertified school employees to at least $17 per hour
  • SB 485: Study Cell Phone Use in School (primary sponsors: Senators Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake; Jim Burgin, R-Harnett)
    • Instructs DPI, in conjunction with NCSBA and other education groups, to compile a list of policies on cell phone use in schools
    • Instructs DPI to assess impacts of these policies on learning, cyber bullying, and school safety
  • SB 493: Go Big for Early Childhood Education (primary sponsors: Senators DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg; Rachel Hunt, D-Mecklenburg; Sydney Batch, D-Wake)
    • Increases funds above the base budget for NC Pre-K and NC Partnership for Children, Inc.
    • Raises the base reimbursement rates for NC Pre-K sites by 3% for FY 2023-24
    • Provides a tax credit for certain early education teachers and directors
  • SB 502: Modify School Performance Grades (primary sponsors: Senators Rachel Hunt, D-Mecklenburg; Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg; Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake)
    • Modifies school performance grades to provide that all schools receive a grade for school achievement and a grade for school growth
  • SB 522: Informational Literacy Bill (primary sponsors: Senators Rachel Hunt, D-Mecklenburg; Natalie Murdock, D-Durham; DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg)
    • Requires instruction of informational literacy in schools
      • Informational literacy means a set of skills that enable an individual to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and use the needed informat,ion effectively, including, but not limited to digital, visual, textual and technological literacy
    • SB 523: Increase School Psychologists (primary sponsor: Senator Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Increases the number of school psychologist positions funded by the State to 675
    • SB 524: School Social Workers/Master’s Pay: (primary sponsor: Senator Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Provides education-based salary supplements for school social workers, regardless of whether a master’s degree is required for licensure
    • SB 528: Public School HVAC Replacements (primary sponsors: Senators DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg; Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe; Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Establishes the Clean Air Grant Program, which requires DPI to provide grants to qualifying public school units to replace aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in schools
    • SB 532: Restore State Employee/Teacher Retiree Medical Benefit (primary sponsors: Senators Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth; Rachel Hunt, D-Mecklenburg; Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Identical to HB 333
      • Prevents the elimination of retiree medical benefits for members first earning service under the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement Systems
    • SB 535: Pension Forfeiture Due to Criminal Acts (primary sponsors: Senators Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Carl Ford, R-Rowan; Ted Alexander, R-Cleveland)
      • Causes the forfeiture of benefits under the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System for committing certain criminal offenses while in office
    • SB 558: Broadband Affordability Prog./Digital Equity (primary sponsor: Senator Natalie Murdock, D-Durham)
      • Establishes the North Carolina Broadband Assistance Program to provide funds to eligible low-income families to help make broadband access more affordable
    • SB 561: Repeal Collective Bargaining Ban (primary sponsor: Senator Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Identical to HB 243
      • Repels the state ban on collective bargaining for public employees
    • SB 567: School Mental Health Support Act (primary sponsors: Senators Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford; Paul Lowe, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Establishes the School Mental Health Grant Program to increase student access to mental health support personnel
      • Establishes the Mental Health Worker Loan Repayment Program
    • SB 598: Healthy Students – A Nurse In Every School (primary sponsors: Senators Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg; Sydney Batch, D-Wake; Kandie Smith, D-Pitt)
      • Requires at least one school nurse in every school in a local school district and appropriates funds to meet that requirement
    • SB 618: TAs to Teachers (primary sponsor: Senator Tom McInnis, R-Moore)
      • Creates a Teacher Assistant Tuition Reimbursement Program to assist teacher assistants in completing an educator preparation program by providing funds to allow local school districts to pick five teacher assistants to receive an award of up to $4,500 per year
    • SB 634: Cap Charter Schools (primary sponsor: Senator Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg)
      • Caps the total number of charter schools operating in the State at 225
    • SB 636: School Athletic Transparency (primary sponsors: Senators Vickie Sawyer, R-Iredell; Todd Johnson, R-Union; Tom McInnis, R-Moore)
      • Revises oversight of high school interscholastic athletics
        • Prohibits students who do not live in a school district from competing if their enrollment is solely for athletic participation purposes
        • Prohibits students of male sex from competing in sports designated for females, women, or girls
      • Recodifies and reorganizes current interscholastic athletics statutes
    • SB 645: Add Homeschools to Opportunity Scholarship (primary sponsor: Senator Jim Burgin, R-Harnett)
      • Identical to SB 665: Add Homeschools to Opportunity Scholarship (primary sponsors: Senators Jim Burgin, R-Harnett; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth)
      • Permits opportunity scholarships to be awarded to students in home school and phases in increased award amounts for home schoolers over time
    • SB 653: Access to Sports and Extracurriculars for All (primary sponsors: Senators Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell; Carl Ford, R-Rowan; Amy Galey, R-Alamance)
      • Permits students who attend a public school, private school, or home school without an interscholastic athletics program in a given sport or particular extracurricular activity to participate in that activity at a public high school
    • SB 675: Land Use Clarification and Changes (primary sponsors: Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; David Craven, R-Randolph; Amy Galey, R-Alamance)
      • Allows the siting of schools via special use permit for areas zoned for commercial use
    • SB 683: Expanding Workforce and Education Act (primary sponsors: Senators Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe)
      • Expands North Carolina’s workforce by providing in-state tuition to North Carolina high school graduates who meet certain criteria
    • SB 688: Child Care Act (primary sponsors: Senators Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg; Natalie Murdock, D-Durham)
      • Expands the NC Pre-K Program
      • Provides lunch in public schools at no cost to students through an allocation based on school food authority evaluations
      • Requires a report on the feasibility and advisability of a high school child care apprenticeship program
    • SB 694: Funds for Ready for School, Ready for Life (primary sponsor: Senator Michael Garrett, D-Guilford)
      • Appropriates funds to Ready for School, Ready for Life to continue state financial support of an integrated data system for early childhood development programs
    • SB 698: Expand Academic Trans. Pathways/Sophomore HS (primary sponsor: Senator Tom McInnis, R-Moore)
      • Expands academic transition pathways for sophomore high school students
    • SB 708: School Meals for Every Child (primary sponsors: Senators Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg; Natalie Murdock, D-Durham; Mary Bode, D-Granville)
      • Provides breakfast and lunch in public schools at no cost to students through an allocation based on school food authority evaluations
    • SB 713: Build Safer Communities and Schools Act (primary sponsors: Senators Natalie Murdock, D-Durham; Mary Bode, D-Granville; Gale Adcock, D-Wake)
      • Allows schools to contract for psychologist services
      • Codifies school safety grants
    • SB 720: Reenact Educational Sales Tax Holiday (primary sponsors: Senators Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg; Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth)
      • Reenacts the sales and use tax holiday for school supplies
    • SB 734: Constitution Quote at School Entrances (primary sponsors: Senators Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck; Timothy Moffit, R-Henderson)
      • Requires display of section one of article IX of the North Carolina Constitution at the entrance to all elementary and secondary schools
    • SB 740: Fully Fund School Psychologist & Counselors (primary sponsors: Senators Mujtaba Mohammed, D-Mecklenburg; Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe; Natalie Murdock, D-Durham)
      • Fully funds school psychologist and school counselor positions per the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan

 

The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.

April 3, 2023, Weekly Report

Headlines for this edition include:

  • Education Secretary Urges Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools
    • US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote a Dear Colleague letter to the nation’s governors, chief state school officers, and school district and school leaders urging them to end corporal punishment in schools
    • School corporal punishment is currently permissible in 23 states, including North Carolina
    • Click here to read the letter
  • House Oversight Committee Examines Impact of Pandemic School Closures
    • The House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing titled, “The Consequences of School Closures: Intended and Unintended”
    • Chairman Brad Wenstrup’s (R-OH) opening statement noted that the intent of Tuesday’s hearing was to examine school closures related to the pandemic response so that the Select Subcommittee could “conduct further investigations, learn from policy failures, discover and apply best practices, and improve readiness for future pandemics”
    • Click here for a recording of the hearing

 

The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.

State News

National News

 

The legislature is taking a spring break next week and will resume regular business the next week starting on April 17. We may not send a Legislative Update next Friday, April 14, due to the legislature’s absence.

Tuesday, April 18

12:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)

Wednesday, April 19

10:00 am – House Judiciary 2 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 421 (livestream)

 

Correction on Last Friday’s Legislative Update

Last Friday, we said that SB 90: Searches of Student’s Person requires all student searches (including searches of property), to take place in private and to be conducted by two adults who are the same sex as the student being searched. The bill as amended only applies that requirement to searches of a student’s person.

 

 

 

Bruce Mildwurf
Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
bmildwurf@ncsba.org

Rebekah Howard
Advocacy Coordinator
NC School Boards Association
rhoward@ncsba.org

Madison Skeens
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
mskeens@ncsba.org

Rob Black
Assistant Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
rblack@ncsba.org

North Carolina School Boards AssociationNCSBA Legislative Update – April 7, 2023