The Week In Review
The State Board of Education: Dedicated Public
Servants
The State Board of Education met in
Raleigh this week to examine a multitude of topics and to elect a new Board
Chair and Vice Chair. State Board of Education members unanimously selected
Eric Davis as the Chairman and Alan Duncan as the Vice Chairman. Mr. Davis is
replacing Chairman Bill Cobey who has served as a Governor McCrory appointee
since 2013. Mr. Davis has been serving as the Vice Chair, a role previously
filled by former Board member Buddy Collins who resigned in April, 2018 to
pursue a seat for County Commission in his Forsyth County district. The new Chair and Vice Chair bios
can be found here. The Board’s agenda this week covered
items ranging from testing, to school
accountability scores, to the Advanced
Teaching Roles Pilots,
to the announcement of schools that could potentially
join the Innovative School District. Agendas for the September State Board of
Education meeting are available here (9/5/18) and here (9/6/18).
|
Governor Cooper addressed the Board
on Thursday where he thanked Board members Chairman Bill Cobey, Becky Taylor
and Greg Alcorn for their dedicated service to the children of North Carolina,
and for their work to ensure every student has an opportunity to
receive a sound basic education. He will soon announce appointments to replace
these outgoing members and because their terms had not yet expired, the
interim appointees will not require confirmation from the General Assembly.
Governor Cooper may also choose to nominate these same individuals to the
General Assembly for them to be assigned the seat for the upcoming term as
well.
|
Thursday’s Board meeting was
described as an emotional day for many because of the departure of Chairman
Cobey, Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Alcorn. Each of these Members leave behind their
special mark on our public school children and for this, we are forever
grateful for their service. See this previous newsletter for bios of outgoing Board
members. The Governor stressed that the Board has an important leadership
role supporting and advancing education from Pre-K through post secondary
education.
The commitment of State Board members is significant and one that
demonstrates a true passion for the children of our great state. These
members are unpaid public servants who leave their families and personal
obligations monthly, to travel from all over the state to engage in
presentations and conversations, all striving to ensure every public school
student will graduate ready for post-secondary education and work. Education
policy and legislation is very detailed and complex, requiring extensive
knowledge and experience to fully grasp the variety of topics that go into a
sound basic education for our K-12 students. As a result, the tenure of State Board
members is lengthier that that of many boards. A full term for a State Board member is eight years, during which they
commit to attending the two days of monthly meetings and any special meetings
scheduled in the interim. In addition, members are assigned to various
committees that meet between monthly Board meetings to fully prepare for
upcoming meetings and to gain a deeper insight to the various topics going before
the Board. The average Board member spends 6-8 full-time work weeks focused
solely on their Board responsibilities. For many, this is in addition to their
own professional full-time careers.
|
General
Assembly House Safety Committee Meetings
The House Select Committee on School
Safety met August 30th in Charlotte and in Boone today. Committee members are
hearing from a variety of individuals across the state, including law
enforcement officers and students, while they study the most effective ways to
improve school safety. They are focusing on security and mental-health support,
utilizing $35 million in funding for various school safety-related programs as
outlined below. The funding includes $30 million non-recurring for grants, of
which $22 million has already been awarded.
Anonymous Tip Line and App – If you
see something, say something. The General Assembly allocated $5 million in
recurring funds this fiscal year to develop an anonymous tip line and mobile
application. The app allows students, parents, educators and community members
to report tips to school administrators and law enforcement where appropriate,
all without embarrassment or fear of reprisal. By July 1, 2019, the Department
of Public Instruction shall implement a statewide anonymous safety tip line
application available to all schools serving grades six or higher in local
school administrative units, charter schools, regional schools, and schools
under the control of the State Board of Education or The University of North
Carolina, as required under G.S. 115C-105.51. The governing body of each public
secondary school may use the anonymous safety tip line application developed by
the state, or another application that meets standards and guidelines developed
by the Department of Public Instruction, to achieve the purposes identified on page 33 of the legislation.
School Safety Grants
-
School Resource Officers – $12 million in non-recurring funds for grants to be
awarded to districts and schools to fund School Resource Officers for
elementary and middle schools
-
Community Partners – Students in Crisis and Training to Increase School
Safety – $2 million in non-recurring funds will be dispersed for the Students
in Crisis Grant Program, and $3 million in non-recurring funding for
Training to Increase School Safety grants.
-
School Safety Equipment – The $3 million in non-recurring funds will be awarded
through a competitive grant with the purpose to inform state policymakers
and lawmakers about specific needs for school safety equipment across the
state.
-
School Mental Health
Support Personnel – $10 million in non-recurring funds will be awarded for this Grant
Program to cover all or a portion of the salary and benefits needed for
additional school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists and school
social workers.
|
Testing and
Accountability Results Released
The accountability results were
released this week to the State Board of Education. Also released were the
four-year Cohort Graduation Rate for the class of 2018. 4-year graduation rate declined slightly from 86.5% to 86.3%,
while the 5-year graduation rate increased from 87.5% to 88%. See this link for the news release and here to see the full report.
U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship
North Carolina applications and entry
materials for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) became available
August 1. The United States Senate Youth Program is a
scholarship program that provides an educational opportunity for juniors and
seniors interested in pursuing college coursework in history or political
science. Student delegates winning the $10,000 scholarship and attending
the week-long event in Washington, D.C. in March 2019 will hear major policy
addresses by Senators, cabinet members and directors from other federal
agencies.
Deadline for submission in N.C.
is October 7, 2018.
|
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.
|
Friday, September 07, 2018
10:00 a.m.: Select Committee on School Safety (House) Watauga High School
Monday, September 10, 2018
10:00 a.m.: Child Fatality Task Force / Unintentional Death Prevention Committee 1027/1128 LB
ONLINE RESOURCES:
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:
-
Cecilia Holden – Director of Legislative Affairs and Special Initiatives | 919-807-3406
-
Anne Murtha – Legislative Specialist | 919-807-3403
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.
|