The General Assembly met over the weekend and overrode the Governor’s vetoes for HB 3 and SB 3.   The Joint Proclamation to convene this extra session can be found here.

The State Board of Education (SBE) held their August meeting last week where they welcomed Dr. Janet Mason as the Superintendent Advisor to the Board, as well as Tabari Wallace, 2018 Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year and Freebird McKinney, 2018 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year.  The Board covered a variety of topics, including approval of the Renewal School System in Rowan-Salisbury Schools which was created in House Bill 986 in the 2018 General Assembly short session.  They also heard a presentation by Dr. Tom Tomberlin with the Department of Public Instruction about Pass Rates for Educator Licensure Exams and how this relates to the recent updates to the SBE Policy amendment pertaining to Initial Teaching Licenses.  Board Member Greg Alcorn presented on his philanthropic initiative around his product called ApSeed which is related to increasing early literacy among economically disadvantaged children using an e-reader.  

Another topic of interest for the Board centered around education legislation that was positively received but didn’t pass in the General Assembly’s 2018 short session. The House Safety Committee recommended legislation that would direct the State Board of Education to grant a license to practice as a school psychologist to any individuals who hold the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential. The standards to receive a Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential from the National Association of School Psychologists meet the current NC standards for licensure as a school psychologist and 32 other states currently have similar reciprocity agreements in place. The legislation was proposed in an effort to help improve the school psychology practice pipeline in NC, to help fill the existing ~75 vacancies across NC and to streamline the licensure process for individuals seeking a license in this field.

Edition 2 of HB 933 was the version of the bill that spoke specifically to this; however, additional unrelated language was later inserted in future editions of the bill causing it to become controversial and ultimately not pass into law. This reciprocity agreement does not require legislation to be enforced but can be put in place through State Board of Education policy.  Board Member, Olivia Oxendine requested the Professional Educator Preparation Standards Commission (PEPSC) review this legislation and bring back a recommendation to the SBE for any reciprocity agreements that can be put into place without lowering standards.

The full agenda and associated materials can be found here.  

State Board Chairman William "Bill" Cobey Resigns

Bill Cobey has served as a Member At-Large and has been chairman of the State Board of Education since sworn into office in April 2013.  In his role as Chairman, Bill has served as a member of the Governor’s Education Cabinet and as a Board member of the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) and NC Education and Workforce Innovation Commission. 

After serving a term as a Member of the United States Congress in the mid 1980’s, Bill Cobey joined the administration of Governor James G. Martin, first as Deputy Secretary of NC Department of Transportation and then as Secretary of the Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources.  Bill’s past experience includes management consulting, municipal management, federal government relations consulting and athletic administration. He is a former athletic director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2005 until 2012, he served on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors that governs Reagan National and Dulles Airports.  He received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Emory University, an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Health and Physical Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

State Board member Rebecca "Becky" Taylor Resigns  

Rebecca "Becky" Taylor has represented the Northeast education region of the state on the State Board of Education.  She has served as chairperson for the Education, Innovation and Charter School committee for the Board and most recently served as the Chair of the Standards Learning and Achievement Committee and co-chair of the Digital Teaching and Learning Committee.

Becky has worked in the field of education for more than 35 years.  She began her career as a special education teacher, serving students identified with learning and behavioral disabilities.  Taylor was selected by East Carolina University (ECU) to pilot an innovative, hands-on Science curriculum with middle school students.  She also taught in the Department of Special Education at East Carolina where she supervised student teachers.  Becky owned and operated five Sylvan Learning Center franchises in eastern North Carolina prior to selling them earlier this year.

State Board member Greg Alcorn Resigns 

Greg Alcorn was appointed by Governor McCrory in 2013 to serve the Southwest Region of the state on the State Board of Education.  Greg has served as chairperson for the Business, Finance and Advocacy committee, also known as the 21st Century Systems committee.  He is a resident of Rowan County where he is founder and CEO of Global Contact Services (GCS).

Alcorn’s business experience and commitment to technology were two reasons for his appointment.  He is focused on using process improvements to achieve efficiency without compromising the human touch.  Since 2001, Global Contact Services has provided outsourcing, management and consulting mostly for customer service departments.   

He is a graduate of Salisbury High School, Catawba College and has his MBA from UNC-Charlotte.  He served on Catawba College Board of Trustees for over a decade and has served on several committees including Finance, Enrollment, Audit, Chief’s Club and two Presidential Search teams.  He was selected Alumnus of the Year in 2010.  He also served as board member for ten years and board chair for three years at K-8 Salisbury Academy. In addition to his commitment to education, Alcorn remains active in several community initiatives.  He is past chair and serves on the board of United Church Homes and Services, past board member of Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society, current board member of Families First, Salisbury Community Foundation, Boy Scouts (awarded Silver Beaver, 2010) and ongoing church committees.  His wife of 22 years, Missie, is a business owner in Salisbury.  They have two children, Clark at UNC-Chapel Hill and Eleanor, a senior at Salisbury High School. 

Alan Duncan Represents the Piedmont-Triad Region

The Governor appointed Alan Duncan in May, 2018 to fill the seat of Buddy Collins, representing the Piedmont-Triad Region. Mr. Duncan was a longtime chairman of the Guilford County Board of Education and is also serving as a member of Governor’s Commission on Access to a Sound Basic Education. A graduate from Davidson College, Mr. Duncan holds a law degree from Vanderbilt University and has practiced law for more than thirty years. He is a partner in the Greensboro law firm Mullins Duncan Harrell & Russell.  

State legislators reconvened on Saturday, August 4 to override the recent vetoes by the Governor from the 2018 First Extra Session. The Governor's veto letters can be found here for HB 3 and here for SB 3. HB 3 Ballot Designations/Referenda was overridden in the House of Representatives by a vote of 70-39 and in the Senate by a vote of 28-12.  SB 3 Party Disclosure/2018 Judicial Races was overridden in the Senate by a vote of 28-12 and in the House Representatives by a vote of 70-39.  Specifics on these bills are covered in the July 27 update.

Pending Constitutional Amendments

• New - Senate Bill 75, Const. Amd. - Max. Income Tax Rate of 7.0%.
• New - Senate Bill 677, Protect Right to Hunt and Fish.
• New - Senate Bill 814, Judicial Vacancy Sunshine Amendment.
• New - House Bill 551, Strengthening Victims' Rights.
• New - House Bill 913, Bipartisan Ethics and Elections Enforcement.
• New - House Bill 1092, Const. Amendment - Require Photo ID to Vote.

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.