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We alerted you on Tuesday morning that HB 219: Charter School Omnibus was pulled from that afternoon’s House Education K-12 Committee meeting agenda. Although it is unclear exactly why the bill was removed, it is clear that efforts to negotiate the bill and reach a compromise are still underway, and we appreciate the role you all are playing in helping us combat this piece of legislation. We accurately predicted this bill would reappear – HB 219 is scheduled to be heard next Tuesday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m. in House Education K-12 (click here for the meeting livestream).
We anticipate the bill remaining on the Committee’s agenda this time because next Thursday, May 4, is the crossover deadline. Meaning, HB 219 needs to pass out of the House next week to remain eligible for the rest of this legislative biennium.
We strongly urge you to reach out to your House member(s) and members of the House Education K-12 Committee to share your concerns about HB 219. Click here and here for fact sheets that include talking points and background information.
This week, legislators zealously passed bills out of each chamber in preparation for next Thursday’s crossover deadline. Crossover is the date by which a bill (except those involving money or legislative studies) must pass through either the House or Senate in order to be eligible for the remainder of the legislative biennium. Senators took action on two education-related bills, of particular importance, which are highlighted below.
Senators unanimously approved Senate Bill 729: CBBC Working Group Changes, which is a compromise bill between NCSBA and the State Retirement System to improve the anti-pension spiking contribution-based benefit cap law.
Additionally, despite strong pushback from Democrats, the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee approved Senate Bill 406: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future. SB 406 makes all NC K-12 students eligible for Opportunity Scholarships and does not allow local boards of education to require more credits to graduate than what is required by the State Board of Education (currently, 22 credits). The biggest pushback from Democrats focused on the fact that this program was intended to provide low- and middle-income families an opportunity to attend a private school, and under SB 406, families with a household income in the millions can receive a voucher. The House version of this bill HB 823: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future. will be heard in the House Education K-12 Committee meeting next Tuesday at 1:00 pm (click here for the meeting livestream).
Read more on these two bills and other education bills with action this week below.
Education Bills that Passed the Senate
Statewide Bills
The following bills passed the Senate and were sent to the House.
Local Bill
The following bill passed the Senate and was sent to the House.
Education Bills that Passed the House
Statewide Bills
The following bills passed the House and were sent to the Senate.
Education Bills Approved by Senate Committees
Statewide Bills
On Wednesday, SB 406: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future (primary sponsors: Senators Michael Lee, R-New Hanover; Lisa Barnes, R-Nash; Amy Galey, R-Alamance) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee approved the bill and referred it to the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee. According to Senate Leader Phil Berger, SB 406 – if enacted – would be the “largest expansion of school choice” since the Opportunity Scholarship Program was founded 10 years ago.
SB 406 provides vouchers for every family in the State. It replaces opportunity income requirements with a sliding scale based on household income as follows.
SB 406 does not include stabilization funds for local school districts that will lose significant funding due to a reduction in average daily membership. Prior to approval by the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee, SB 406 was modified to increase the funds appropriated to the Program. For the 2032-33 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, $520.54 million will be appropriated to the Program. Click here for an official bill summary. Click here for an article on SB 406.
On Wednesday, SB 364: Nondiscrimination & Dignity in State Work (primary sponsors: Senators Warren Daniel, R-Burke; Todd Johnson, R-Union; Brad Overcash, R-Gaston) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill and referred it to the Senate Rules Committee. SB 364 amends the State Human Resources Act to prohibit compelled speech when an individual seeks state government employment, demonstrates the General Assembly’s intent that state employees recognize the equality and rights of all persons, and prohibits state government workplaces from promoting certain concepts that are contrary to that intent. Click here for an official bill summary.
Education Bills Approved by House Committees
Statewide Bills
On Tuesday, the following bills had their first committee hearing when the House Education K-12 Committee approved them.
On Wednesday, 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 second committee hearing when the House Judiciary 1 Committee approved the bill and referred it to the House Rules 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. Prior to Committee approval, language authorizing remote meetings under certain circumstances was added to the bill. Click here for an official bill summary.
On Thursday, HB 487: POW/MIA Flags/State Bldgs & Schools (primary sponsors: Representatives Edward Goodwin, R-Chowan; Michael Wray, D-Northampton; Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson; Garland Pierce, D-Scotland) had its first committee hearing when the House State Government Committee approved the bill and referred it to the House Rules Committee. HB 487 requires public schools and state-owned buildings to fly the POW/MIA flag, provided there is space for the flag on an existing flagpole. Click here for an official bill summary.
On Tuesday, HB 162: Living Donor Protection Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Phil Shepard, R-Onslow; Marcia Morey, D-Durham; Ken Fontenot, R-Wilson; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland) had its second committee hearing when the House Finance Committee approved the bill and referred it to the House Rules Committee. HB 162 provides paid leave for State employees, public school employees, and community college employees for organ donation. Click here for an official bill summary.
The House appropriations and finance bill filing deadline was this past Tuesday, April 25. The House public/statewide bill filing deadline was last week, the Senate public/statewide bill filing deadline was earlier this month, and the local bill filing deadlines for both the House and the Senate were in March. The following are additional education-related bills that were filed this week.
Statewide Bills
Local Bill
The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.
Headlines for this edition include:
The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.
State News
National News
Monday, May 15, is Bring Your Legislator to School Day, an event sponsored by the NC Public School Forum. The idea is simple – local schools should invite their legislators to come in for a day and witness first-hand the successes and challenges faced by the public school system.
We highly encourage every district to reach out to their legislators and invite them to this event. Click here to find your legislators.
Next Thursday, May 4, is the crossover deadline. Meaning, bills must pass one chamber by next Thursday to remain eligible for the rest of this legislative biennium.
Monday, May 1
4:00 pm – Senate Education/Higher Education – Legislative Offices Building, rm 544 (livestream)
Tuesday, May 2
10:00 am – House Local Government – Legislative Building, rm 1228/1327 (livestream)
11:00 am – House Judiciary 2 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 544 (livestream)
1:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
Wednesday, May 3
11:00 am – House State Government – Legislative Offices Building, rm 421 (livestream)
Point of Personal Privilege
We would like to thank Rebekah Howard for her contributions to the NCSBA Governmental Relations team over the past four years. This week’s update is her last one as she is moving on to other opportunities. During her time at NCSBA, Rebekah has tirelessly performed many different duties while keeping our membership updated on all the latest information. We wish her well!
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
Now is the time for all hands on deck! HB 219: Charter School Omnibus is scheduled for its first committee hearing next Tuesday, April 25, at 1:00 pm in the House Education K-12 Committee (click here for the meeting livestream). Part VII of HB 219 will take millions from local school districts each year. This includes reimbursements for federal programs provided to students, Pre-K classroom funds, tuition and fees for actual costs, sales tax refunds, and the list goes on. Meanwhile, charter schools can, and do, receive these same funds and will keep 100% of them – you can call this double dipping.
We strongly urge you to reach out to your House members and members of the House Education K-12 Committee to share your opposition to Part VII of HB 219. HB 219 is sponsored by Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Jason Saine, R-Lincoln.
Click here and here for fact sheets that include talking points and background information. Additionally, here is a resolution in opposition to HB 219 for your board to utilize and tailor to your specific district. So far, we know of at least 23 local school district resolutions in opposition to HB 219. Please email your district’s resolution to Rob Black at rblack@ncsba.org.
The General Assembly was bustling this week as the House scurried to meet its bill filing deadline and the Senate continued to draft its version of the budget. Over 200 House bills were filed just this week. Additionally, several important pieces of education-related legislation passed the House and the Senate.
HB 314: Conflict of Interest Training/LEAs – a bill involving ethics training for school administrators and a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda – passed the House, with no votes in opposition, and awaits consideration from the Senate.
The most contentious bills of the week were HB 574: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and SB 631: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which both passed their respective chambers. It was a straight party-line vote in the Senate, and in the House, three Democrats joined all Republicans to approve the bill. These bills require student athletes to compete under the biological gender listed on their birth certificate. Additionally, there was heavy debate in Senate committees on SB 692: Community College Governance, which strips away local school boards’ say in community college governance. Read more on these bills and other education-related bills below.
Education Bills Approved by Senate Committees
Statewide Bills
SB 692: Community College Governance (primary sponsors: Senators Amy Galey, R-Alamance; Todd Johnson, R-Union; Tom McInnis, R-Moore) had its first two committee hearings this week when the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee and the Senate Rules Committee approved the bill. SB 692 abolishes local board of educations’ authority to elect members to the board of trustees of the local community college. The bill changes appointments to the local boards of trustees by requiring eight members to be appointed by the NC General Assembly and four members to be elected by the county board of commissioners. Under current law, four members are elected by the local board of education, four are elected by the county board of commissioners, and four are appointed by the governor.
If SB 692 passes, it may create unnecessary tension between community colleges and school districts that currently serve in partnership to strengthen local workforce development efforts and early college enrollment. Click here for an official bill summary. Click here for an article on the bill, which includes committee discussion.
On Wednesday, SB 729: CBBC Working Group Changes (primary sponsors: Senators Jim Burgin, R-Harnett; Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; Carl Ford, R-Rowan) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Pensions and Retirement Committee approved the bill and referred it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 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. Click here for an official bill summary.
On Thursday, SB 582: North Carolina Farm Act of 2023 (primary sponsors: Senators Brent Jackson, R-Sampson; Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico; Buck Newton, R-Wilson) had its first committee hearing when the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee approved the bill and referred is to the Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 582 says that local boards of education must strive to ensure that 100% muscadine grape juice is made available to all students as a part of the nutrition program or through vending facilities. Click here for an official bill summary. This provision in SB 582 is similar to HB 67: Encourage Healthy NC Food in Schools. A primary difference is that HB 67 requires the supplier to buyback unopened and unexpired products, and SB 582 does not.
Education Bills that Passed the House
Statewide Bills
The House passed the following bills and sent them to the Senate.
Local Bill
On Tuesday, HB 464: Beaufort County Local Matters (primary sponsor: Representative Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort) was amended in the House Local Government Committee to include a section authorizing Beaufort County Schools to use the Hillsdale College K-12 Curriculum in lieu of the statutory courses of study requirements in Part 1 or Article 8 of G.S. 115C. On Wednesday, that section was removed prior to House approval of the bill.
Education Bills that Passed the Senate
Statewide Bills
The Senate passed the following bills and sent them to the House.
Voucher Bills Filed
This week, two notable voucher bills were filed. HB 823: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future (primary sponsors: Representatives Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; David Willis, R-Union; Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston; Tim Moore, R-Cleveland) is identical to SB 406, which Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, noted would be the “largest expansion of school choice” since the Opportunity Scholarship Program was founded 10 years ago. The primary sponsors of HB 823 include a chair and a vice chair of the House Education K-12 Committee, as well as House Speaker Tim Moore.
HB 823 provides vouchers for every family in the State. It replaces opportunity income requirements with a sliding scale based on household income as follows.
HB 823 does not include stabilization funds for local school districts that will lose significant funding due to a reduction in average daily membership.
HB 667: Opportunity Scholarship Testing Requirements (primary sponsors: Representatives Sarah Crawford, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe; Julie von Haefen, D-Wake) requires nonpublic schools accepting opportunity scholarship students to administer one of the five most common nationally standardized tests and requires the State Education Assistance Authority to maintain a list of those tests. This bill mirrors a priority on NCSBA’s Legislative Agenda. Click here to access NCSBA’s Opportunity Scholarship Program issue brief.
Fairness in Women’s Sports Bills
As previously stated, two bills titled “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” each passed their respective chambers. The following are summaries of each bill:
Click here for an article on these bills.
Education Bills Approved by House Committee
Statewide Bills
Presentation to House Education K-12 Committee on Student Academic Gains
On Tuesday, the House Education K-12 Committee heard a presentation from DPI on recovery analysis showing that during the 2021-22 school year, NC students made significant gains in recovering from instructional time lost due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Signs of academic recovery are seen in almost every subject, with the most significant gains in middle and high school math. Click here for DPI’s press release on the presentation, which explains that some students were as much as 15 months behind where they would have been in a typical year, but this latest report shows clear signs of academic recovery. Click here for the 530-page analysis report. Click here for an article on the presentation.
Last Friday, April 14, Superior Court Judge James Ammons agreed with parties that $677 million remains to be appropriated for years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger previously claimed that the remaining appropriation is actually $377 million. Judge Ammons’ order is in response to a November 2022 directive by the then democrat-majority State Supreme Court to recalculate the transfer amount based on what funds were accounted for in the 2022 State budget. Not included in the order is a requirement that state officials transfer funds to comply with the Plan, as this action was blocked in March by the current republican-majority State Supreme Court.
The State Supreme Court is expected to act next on the Leandro case. Click here for the April 14 order. Click here and here for articles on the order.
The House public/statewide bill filing deadline was this past Tuesday, April 18, the Senate public/statewide bill filing deadline was earlier this month, and the local bill filing deadlines for both the House and the Senate were in March. The appropriations and finance bill filing deadline for the House is next Tuesday, April 25. The following are additional education-related bills that were filed this week and last week.
Statewide Bills
The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.
Headlines for this edition include:
Additional national news:
The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.
State News
National News
Tuesday, April 25
9:00 am – House Finance – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
1:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
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
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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
The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.
Headlines for this edition include:
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
The House conducted its own version of March Madness this week, just in time for tomorrow’s Final Four. House budget writers unveiled the House’s proposed State budget for the 2023-25 fiscal biennium on Wednesday, followed by meetings of various House appropriations committees on Thursday morning. The meeting of the full House Appropriations Committee began at 10:00 am on Thursday and lasted until 5:00 pm. During this meeting, dozens of amendments were offered by members of both parties, and 17 amendments passed. Click here for an article on some of the proposed amendments concerning education.
The House’s plan is to hear the amended budget in various House committee meetings next Tuesday, April 4, then vote on the budget on the House floor on Wednesday, April 5, and Thursday, April 6.
The House 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). The following are K-12 education highlights of the House budget:
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. We expect some provisions and appropriations to change prior the House’s final approval that is expected next Thursday. We will provide you with updated summaries in next week’s Legislative Update.
Click here for the House budget bill and click here for the House budget money report. Click here for an article on House education budget highlights.
Following the House’s anticipated approval of their budget next week, it will then 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.
The highlight of this week was the release of the House budget. Another bill that would significantly change the State’s voucher program was filed – SB 406: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future. Senate Leader Phil Berger announced the bill’s filing in a press release, and you can read more about SB 406 below.
Also, this week, both the House and Senate voted to override Governor Cooper’s veto of SB 41: Protect Religious Meeting Places (primary sponsors Senators Danny Britt, R- Robeson; Warren Daniel, R-Burke; Jim Perry, R-Lenoir), which in a gun bill that includes a section allowing guns on property that is both a school and place of religious worship during certain hours. SB 41 does not apply to property owned by a local board of education or county commission. This veto override was possible because of the Senate’s vetoproof Republican majority, and the House being able to obtain a vetoproof Republican majority because three Democrats were absent. SB 41 was chaptered in SL 2023-8.
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 poses a huge threat to local school district funding. 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.
Another Voucher Bill to Watch
In addition to HB 420: Expand & Consolidate K-12 Scholarships, which was filed last week, we want to highlight SB 406: Choose Your School, Choose Your Future, which was filed on Wednesday.
The primary sponsors of SB 406 are Michael Lee (R-New Hanover), Lisa Barnes (R-Nash), and Amy Galey (R-Alamance) who all chair Senate education committees. According to a press release from the office of Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) SB 406 – if enacted – would be the “largest expansion of school choice” since the Opportunity Scholarship Program was founded 10 years ago.
SB 406 bill provides vouchers for every family in the State. It replaces income requirements with a sliding scale based on household income as follows:
SB 406 does not include stabilization funds for local school districts that will lose significant funding due to a reduction in average daily membership. Click here for an article on SB 406.
Education Bills that Passed the Senate
On Tuesday, the following bills unanimously passed the Senate and have been referred to the House Rules Committee.
Education Bills that Passed the House
The following bills unanimously passed the House and have been sent to the Senate.
Statewide Bills
Local Bill
Education Bills Approved by House Committees
Statewide Bills
The following two bills had their first committee hearing when they were approved by the House Education K-12 Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee.
On Wednesday, HB 205: Transparent Governance & Integrity Act.-AB (primary sponsors: Representatives Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin; Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson) had its second committee hearing when it was approved by the House Finance Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee. This bill mandates financial management education for certain local government officials and makes changes to various local government finance laws. Click here for an official bill summary.
Local Bills
On Tuesday, HB 262: School Assignment Zones (primary sponsors: Representatives Phil Shepard, R-Onslow; George Cleveland, R-Onslow; Carson Smith, R-Pender) had its second committee hearing this week when it was approved by the House Local Government and referred to the House Rules Committee. This bill requires student assignment zones that allow students the opportunity to attend the schools closest to their residence in Onslow County Schools. A roll call vote was requested for Committee approval, and the vote was 7-5 along party lines with Democrats claiming this sets bad precedent, and the issue should be handled at the local level. Click here for an official bill summary.
Education Bill Approved by Senate Committees
SB 286: Make Pamlico Board of Education Partisan (primary sponsor: Senator Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico) had its first two committee hearings this week when the Senate Redistricting and Elections Committee and the Senate Rules Committee approved the bill. SB 286 changes the election for the Pamlico County Board of Education from nonpartisan to partisan. 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. There will be no more local calendar bills filed this session because the local bill filing deadline for the Senate was March 9, and the local bill filing deadline for the House was yesterday, March 23.
As was mentioned under Education Bills that Passed the House, HB 306: School Calendar Flexibility/Granville & Vance passed the House yesterday, following adoption of an amendment that added three more school districts to the bill. All local school calendar bills that have been 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 local bill filing deadline for the Senate was March 9, and the local bill filing deadline for the House was March 23. The public/statewide bill filing deadline for the Senate is next Tuesday, April 4, 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
The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.
Headlines for this edition include:
The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.
State News
National News
Tuesday, April 4
9:00 am – Senate Education/Higher Education – Legislative Offices Building, rm 544 (livestream)
10:00 am – House Local Government – Legislative Building, rm 1228/1327 (livestream)
10:00 am – House Health – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
2:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
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
Efforts to combat HB 219: Charter School Omnibus continued this week. We have drafted a resolution in opposition to HB 219 for your board to utilize and tailor to your specific district. As a reminder, we sent a fact sheet last week that includes talking points and background information to guide your communication with House members.
House budget writers spent many hours finalizing their proposed State budget this week, which is expected to be shared with the public next week. Education bills continued to be filed, including two bills that significantly impact the State’s voucher program – HB 420: Expand & Consolidate K-12 Scholarships and SB 368: Enabling Opportunity Scholarship Reporting. Read more about these voucher bills, other education bills with action this week, and the State budget below.
House Budget Expected Next Week
According to media reports, House Speaker Tim Moore said the House’s first draft of the State budget will be released next Wednesday, March 29. During this Wednesday’s House session, Representative Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, told fellow lawmakers the budget should be voted out of the House before Easter, prior to both chambers taking a weeklong break starting on April 10. Following the House’s passage of the budget, the Senate will create its own budget, and then legislative leaders will collaborate with the goal of coming to a budget compromise by mid-June.
While House and Senate leaders previously agreed on spending amounts, $29.7 billion for 2023-24 (6.5% increase) and $30.8 billion for 2024-25 (additional 3.75% increase), Speaker Moore said they have not reached an agreement on salary increases. Moore did not say what raises will be included in the House budget but did say the House is taking “a responsible approach to giving pay raises that we know are very much needed and that we can afford to do.”
Two Voucher Bills to Watch
HB 420: Expand & Consolidate K-12 Scholarships (primary sponsors: Representatives Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston; David Willis, R-Union; John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg) was filed on Tuesday. The following are highlights of this 13-page bills:
SB 368: Enabling Opportunity Scholarship Reporting (primary sponsors: Senators Graig Meyer, D-Orange, Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake; Dan Blue, D-Wake) was filed on Thursday. This bill requires the administration of a common exam to a sample of certain nonpublic and public students for the purposes of enabling opportunity scholarship grant program reporting and provides funds for this evaluation. This bill supports an item on NCSBA’s 2023-24 Legislative Agenda, and you can read more about the issue in our Opportunity Scholarship Issue Brief.
Education Bills that Passed the House
Statewide Bills
On Wednesday, the following two bills passed the House and were sent to the Senate.
Local Bill
On Wednesday, HB 308: Alexander Co. Bd. of Ed. Referendum (primary sponsor: Representative Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes) passed the House on a voice vote. This bill requires Alexander County to conduct a referendum on whether to change the election method for the Alexander Board of Education from nonpartisan to partisan. Click here for an official bill summary.
Education Bills that Passed the Senate
On Tuesday, the following two bills unanimously passed the Senate and were sent to the House.
Education Bill Sent to the Governor
On Tuesday, 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) passed the Senate on a 29-17 vote and was sent to the Governor. This bill does the following:
Click here for an official bill summary.
Education Bills Approved by Senate Committees
On Tuesday, SB 90: Searches of Student’s Person (primary sponsors: Senators Michael Lazzara, R-Onslow; Amy Galey, R-Alamance; Vicki Sawyer, R-Iredell) had its third committee hearing when it was approved by the Senate Rules Committee. SB 90 does the following.
NCSBA will continue to work with the bill sponsors to improve SB 90. The next stop for SB 90 is the Senate floor where NCSBA anticipates the bill will be amended. Click here for an official bill summary.
Education Bills Approved by House Committees
On Tuesday, the following three bills were approved by the House Pensions and Retirement Committee.
On Wednesday, HB 188: Standards of Student Conduct (primary sponsors: Representatives John Torbett, R-Gaston; Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke; David Willis, R-Union; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland) had its second committee hearing when it was approved by the House Judiciary 1 Committee. HB 188 is similar to a 2021 bill that passed the House but was not taken up by the Senate. HB 188 does the following:
HB 188 was referred to the House Rules Committee. Click here for an official bill summary.
On Tuesday, HB 98: Medical Freedom Act (primary sponsors: Representatives Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; Jon Hardister, R-Guilford; Neal Jackson, R-Moore; Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth) had its first committee hearing when it was modified and approved by the House Health Committee. HB 98 does the following:
The following was removed from HB 98 prior to being approved by the Committee:
HB 98 is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary 1 Committee meeting next Wednesday, March 29, at 12:00 pm (livestream). Click here for an official bill summary.
On Tuesday, HB 205: Transparent Governance & Integrity Act.-AB (primary sponsors: Representatives Howard Penny, R-Harnett; Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin; Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson) had its first committee hearing when it was modified and approved by the House Local Government Committee. This bill mandates financial management education for certain local government officials and makes changes to various local government finance laws. HB 205 was referred to the House Finance Committee. Click here for an official bill summary.
On Thursday, HB 134: SHP Claims Administrator Changes.-AB (primary sponsor: Representative Edward Goodwin, R-Chowan) was approved by the House State Personnel Committee and referred to the House Health Committee. This bill allows the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees to access and utilize its own claims payment data while continuing to protect the confidentiality of the information, 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. There will be no more local calendar bills filed this session because the local bill filing deadline for the Senate was March 9, and the local bill filing deadline for the House was yesterday, March 23. HB 306: School Calendar Flexibility/Granville & Vance is scheduled to be heard in the House Education K-12 Committee next Tuesday, March 28, at 1:00 pm (livestream). All local school calendar bills that were filed affect 54 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 local bill filing deadline for the Senate was March 9, and the local bill filing deadline for the House was yesterday, March 23. The public/statewide bill filing deadline for the Senate is April 4, 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
Local Bills
As we covered in last Friday’s Legislative Update, Superior Court Judge James Ammons held a hearing on March 17, during which parties in the case agreed that $677 million remains to be appropriated for years two and three of the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan. The attorney representing legislative intervenors, House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger, claimed the remaining appropriation is actually $377 million. Click here for an article on the hearing, which includes more about the arguments and links to additional resources.
In the January 27 Legislative Update, we included information about arguments heard by the Supreme Court in Perez vs. Sturgis Public Schools. This case dealt with how school districts handle dispute resolution under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The legal question centered around whether individuals who enter into an IDEA settlement must exhaust the administrative process before pursing further legal action under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Supreme Court resoundingly answered that question with a unanimous vote in favor of the plaintiff, Miguel Luna Perez, a deaf student who alleged that the Sturgis Public Schools had failed to provide him with an adequate education. According to a Washington Post article on the ruling, “The justices ruled that after Perez and his family settled a complaint against the school system — with officials agreeing to pay for additional schooling and sign language instruction — they could pursue money damages under a different federal law.”
This morning, the US House of Representatives passed HR5 – Parents Bill of Rights Act on a 213-208 vote with five Republicans joining every Democrat who voted in opposition.
Key parts of the legislation include:
The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce chaired by North Carolina’s Virginia Foxx (R-05) has published a fact sheet on the legislation. It is not expected to be taken up for consideration by the Democratic-controlled US Senate. Click here for an article on the bill’s passage.
The following is the Consortium of State School Boards Association’s (COSSBA) most recent federal education report.
Headlines for this edition include:
The following are recent news articles, reports, and press releases on state and national education-related issues.
State News
National News
Tuesday, March 28
10:00 am – House Local Government – Legislative Building, rm 1228/1327 (livestream)
1:00 pm – House Education K-12 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 643 (livestream)
Wednesday, March 29
12:00 pm – House Judiciary 1 – Legislative Offices Building, rm 423 (livestream)
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