The Week In Review and Looking Forward into Next Week
 The House and Senate voted on numerous bills in their respective Chambers this week. They were also busy actively discussing and voting on various legislative items during fast-paced Committee meetings.
Throughout the remainder of this session, the General Assembly will only consider bills that have already been filed, except for the following matters.
- Bills amending the North Carolina Constitution
- Appointments to/confirmation of members of State boards/commissions
- Resolutions not prohibited by House or Senate Rules
- Joint resolutions authorizing other bills and those bills if resolution passes by two-thirds vote in each chamber
- Election law bills
- Redistricting bills for House, Senate, Congress, judicial and prosecutorial, municipal, and other political subdivisions
- Bills responding to litigation related to the legality of legislative enactments
- Bills providing for impeachment of State officers
- Bills to disapprove Administrative Rules
- Adjournment resolution sine die
- Bills that made cross-over
- Veto overrides
Some of the high profile K-12 bills with action this week included HB 514 and SB 99. HB 514, a local bill, which allows municipalities to act as Charters in certain NC towns was passed this week and is now law. SB 99, the expansion budget bill, was vetoed by the Governor on Wednesday with a veto override by the Senate on Thursday.
During the coming week, it is anticipated that the General Assembly will continue voting on numerous bills, including a likely veto override of the expansion budget bill by the House. Next week’s Legislative Calendar is included at the bottom of this newsletter. The General Assembly appears to be on track for lots of activity next week, as they continue working diligently to wrap up the short session in the coming days.
In addition to the General Assembly being in town this week, on Wednesday and Thursday, the State Board of Education met discussing many important legislative and other K-12 related matters. The agenda and handouts from the meeting can be found here.
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Budget Update
 Last Friday, June 1st, the expansion budget, SB 99, was ratified and sent to the Governor. The Governor vetoed the bill on Wednesday, June 6th, citing inadequate funding for education, tax cuts, and the legislative process for the budget. The Governor's veto letter can be found here.
The General Assembly leadership released a statement on Wednesday “vowing to deliver pay raises for state employees, teachers, principals, and law enforcement officers notwithstanding a budget veto” by the Governor. On Thursday, June 7th, the Senate overrode the Governor's veto. If the House does the same, SB 99 will pass into law.
Key K-12 related details of the expansion budget were highlighted in last week’s Newsletter which can be found here. Another budget related item not mentioned last week is listed below:
- Assistant principals move from the “A” teacher salary schedule plus 17% to the “A” teacher salary plus 19% for FY 2018-19. This follows the intention of the General Assembly from the original biennium budget.
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Relevant Bills with Action
HB 92: Cherokee Reg. Plate/Teaching Agreement
This bill would allow individuals to teach Cherokee language and culture classes without an official teaching license. Many of the increasingly few individuals who know the Cherokee language do not possess the necessary qualifications for teacher licensure. These individuals would not be permitted to provide instruction in other content areas unless the individual possessed the required teaching license. This bill passed the Senate on Thursday, June 7th, and was placed on the House calendar for Monday, June 11th.
 HB 965: National and State Mottos in Schools Act
This bill, discussed in the May 25th legislative update, was heard by the House Education K-12 Committee where they discussed a ProposedCommittee Substitute (PCS). The PCS greatly resembles the original bill, but with a few changes. In particular, it decreases the appropriation for this bill from $100,000 to $25,000, and delays the date when this requirement will apply. The original start date was the 2018-19 school year and the revised date is moved to December 1st, 2018. On Thursday, June 7th, the House amended the bill to require schools to display the state motto in the latin, "Esse Quam Videri," as well as the english "To Be Rather Than to Seem," which is already in the bill. The amended bill passed the House and now sits in the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
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HB 934: Threat Assessment Teams
This bill, discussed in this former update, passed the House and settled in the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. Before passing the House, it was amended twice. The first amendment to this bill clarifies that a healthcare provider may disclose health information to members of a threat assessment team who are school nurses, school psychologists, or other licensed healthcare personnel, when that information pertains to a student who is an eminent threat to school staff or students. The second amendment to this bill requires that superintendents or designee notify individuals if they are the subject of a threat. This amendment also requires that, if a student is the subject of a threat, the superintendent or designee notify the parent or guardian of that student.
HB 938: Various School Safety Changes
HB 938 was addressed in this former legislative update. This bill was amended, and passed its second and third reading in the House on Monday, June 4th. The amendment requires that all LEAs report the date and time of mandatory annual lockdown drills to the Center for Safer Schools. The amended bill is currently in the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
 SB 732 / HB 986: Revise Cursive and Multiplication Report
Summarized in a former update, this bill was heard by the House Education K-12 Committee, and passed as a Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS). The PCS included some measures from HB 1048: Require Equal Access to Advanced Classes. Specifically, the PCS requires that all students who receive a 5 on a math end-of-grade test be placed in an advanced math class. This bill has passed the House and and is now in the Committee on the Rules and Operations of the Senate.
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HB 982/SB 760: IDD Data Sharing/Longitudinal Data System
Addressed in a previous update, this bill passed the House, and was sent to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
HB 933: Reciprocity/School Psychologist Licensure
This bill, which is summarized in a former newsletter, was heard in the Senate Committee on Health Care on Thursday, June 7th. The committee considered a Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS) that would add more general health considerations to the bill. They discussed the PCS, but took no votes on the topic.
 SB 15: ISD and Local Board Contracting Changes
On Tuesday, June 5th, the House Education K-12 Committee gave a favorable report to a proposed committee substitute (PCS) of this bill. This PCS makes several changes to the Innovative School District (ISD) Including:
- Require that the State Board of Education select potential innovative schools by November 15th.
- Require that local boards of education respond to selection by December 15th with either a closure plan or a resolution to transfer the school into the ISD.
- Give first priority to the IS operator in capital expenditures.
- Dictates the timeline for a memorandum of understanding between the IS operator and local board of education is now 45 days.
- The ISD superintendent must now approve the principal of any innovative school.
- Teachers will retain career status, such as tenure, if their school becomes an innovative school.
- Allowing schools that have pursued a reform model such as restart to be considered for inclusion in the ISD.
- Increase the number of schools the ISD superintendent may select per year from 1 to 2. This increase would take effect in the 2021-22 school year and would only be allowed if existing ISD schools that have been in the program three or more years have earned a grade C or higher.
- Eligible schools for the innovation zone are allowed, rather than required to become an innovate school.
- Allows local boards of education in smaller districts to contract with the spouse of the superintendent.
This bill will likely be heard in the House next week.
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HB 1036: PED Lottery Recommendations
This bill would adjust reporting requirements for the North Carolina Education Lottery with the aim to increase revenue for education. One of these requirements is for the lottery to establish targets and then report on their progress toward those targets. This bill was sent to the House Education K-12 Committee.
HB 273: Charter Schools in State Health Plan
This bill would allow four charter schools, Coastal Preparatory Academy, Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington, Pine Springs Preparatory Academy, and Unity Classical Charter School, to elect to participate in the state health plan for teachers and state employees. This bill passed the House on Thursday, June 7th, and was sent to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
SB 531: School Boards Can't Sue Counties
This bill would prohibit local boards of education from filing legal actions challenging the sufficiency of the funding from local boards of county commissioners. This bill was re-referred to the House Committee on Finance.
Local Bills With Action
HB 514: Permit Municipal Charter School/Certain Towns
This bill, summarized in this former update, was heard in the senate on Monday, June 4th. It was amended on the Senate floor, such that employees of municipal charter schools would not be allowed to enroll in the state teacher pension or health plans. This amendment is an attempt to clarify that this is a local bill. Because local bills do not need the Governor's signature to become law, HB 514 now passes into law.
HB 935: Add Piedmont Community Charter School to SHP
This bill, which was summarized in this former update, passed the House on Thursday, June 7th, and was sent to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
HB 1017: Moore County Local Sales Tax Use Restriction
This bill would create a ballot item in a Moore County special election, which would increase sales tax by 1/4 of 1%. The increased revenue from this potential sales tax increase could be used only for public school construction, renovation, and repair. This bill was referred to the House Committee on Finance.
SB 804: Authorize Teacher-Gov't Emp'ee Housing/Bertie
Filed on Tuesday, June 5th, this bill would allow the Windsor township and Bertie County to provide affordable rental housing to teachers and other government employees. This bill was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
 2018 Short Session link for bills impacting K-12 education.
2017 Long Session link for a complete list of bills impacting K-12 education including budget items.
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Monday, June 11, 2018
1:00 p.m.: Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee 544 LOB | Audio
1:30 p.m.: Session Convenes (Senate) Senate | Audio
4:00 p.m.: Rules and Operations of the (Senate) 1027/1128 LB | No Audio
7:00 p.m.: Session Convenes (House) House | Audio
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
10:00 a.m.: Judiciary (Senate) 1027/1128 LB | No Audio
12:00 p.m.: Agriculture (House) 643 LOB | Audio
2:00 p.m.: State and Local Government (Senate) 423 LOB | No Audio
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
1:00 p.m.: Judiciary I (House) 415 LOB | Audio
ONLINE RESOURCES:
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:
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Cecilia Holden – Director of Legislative Affairs and Special Initiatives | 919-807-3406
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Anne Murtha – Legislative Specialist | 919-807-3403
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David Smith – Legislative Intern | 919-807-3407
To view previous 2018 Weekly Legislative Updates click here.
The NC Department of Public instruction offers a number of topics for subscription.
- To subscribe to the Weekly Legislative Update, click here.
- To subscribe to other NC Department of Public Instruction topics, click here.
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