The Week In Review and Looking Forward into Next Week

Robust Week - General Assembly on Spring Break Next Week

The Senate Committee Appropriations/Base Budget held their first meeting this week, while the House continued budget discussions behind closed doors.Tuesday, April 16 was the House bill filing deadline for any Public Bills that did not impact appropriations or finance. The House filed a total of 26 K-12 Public Education related bills this week, bringing the House total K-12 bills to 177 and the Senate total K-12 bills to 129.

A couple of high profile companion bills filed by the House this week include HB 859: Classroom Supplies to Teachers and HB 890: Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers.  The House passed two statewide K-12 education bills which were then sent to the Senate including HB 437: Education on the Holocaust and Genocide and HB 151: Katelyn’s Law.  The Senate passed three K-12 education bills which were then passed to the House.  These included SB 391: Expand Youth Internship Opportunities,  SB 392: Superintendent May Approve Charter Facility Bonds and SB 476: Reaffirm Local Control of Discipline Policies.

Three students from the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton were appointed by Senator Daniel (R-Burke) to serve as Senate Pages this week.  Their opportunity included tours and a chance to participate and learn first-hand about the legislative process. 

Next Week’s Session Schedule

Budget Process

Anticipation continues to build as closed door discussions continue around the House and Senate budgets which are expected to be released in the coming weeks.  The House Appropriations Education Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday, April 26 at 8:30 AM.  The notice indicates the 2019-20 education budget will be on the agenda, likely to be reviewed and discussed by the Committee members.  Here is the link to committee documents. 

Important Budget Resources: Education Items in the Governor's budget here.  Public School Capital Outlays Chart here. Highlights of the NC Public School Budget 2019 here. NC State Board of Education Budget Response here. NC Department of Public Instruction #NC2030 vision here.

Relevant Bills with Action

K-12 Public Education Bills that have become Session Law

• No K-12 Public Education Bills became Session Law this week.

LINK to all bills that are now Session Law.

High Profile House Education Companion Bills Filed this Week

HB 890: Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers 

HB 890 is the companion bill to SB 28.  Both bills would reinstate master’s pay for certain teachers and instructional support personnel with a master’s degree or receive a salary supplement for academic preparation at the 6-year or doctoral degree level including: 

• Certified school nurses and instructional support personnel in positions that require a master’s degree,
• Teachers and instructional support personnel who were paid on the “M” salary schedule or received the salary supplement prior to the 2014-15 school year,
• Teachers and instructional support personnel who complete a degree at the master’s, 6-year or doctoral degree level (1 course completed prior to 8/1/2013) and would have qualified for salary supplement pursuant to SBE 6/30/2013 policy and,
• Teachers who spend at least 70% of their work time in classroom instruction related to their graduate academic preparation in their field within their area of licensure (specifies where other 30% of time shall be spent). 

HB 859: Classroom Supplies to Teachers

As a follow-on to SB 580: Classroom Supplies to Teachers bill, the House filed HB 859 as a companion bill.  Both bills would direct $37 million of the current $47 million Classroom Materials/Instructional Supplies/Equipment allotment to reimburse teachers up to $400 for classroom supplies.  In addition to the current $47 million, the State Board of Education requested additional funding for this allotment in the Board’s 2019-2021 biennium expansion budget proposal. 

Bills Approved by Education Committees This Week   SB 621: Testing Reduction Act of 2019  This bill would eliminate the NC Final Exams, require reporting on and reductions in local testing, and require a review of the third-grade reading End of Grade test to ensure alignment with the Read to Achieve assessment.   SB 438: Excellent Public Schools Act of 2019  This bill would make various changes to the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program.   SB 399: Rehire High Need Teachers  This bill would allow teachers who retired on or before February 1, 2019 to return to work in certain high-needs schools without adversely impacting their retirement benefits.   HB 521: Transitional License/Teacher from Other State  This bill would extend the new license to 3 years instead of 1 and rename it a transitional license, authorize LEAs to determine experience credit for the first year of the license, and clarify that out-of-state teachers without evidence of effectiveness are only eligible for a Transitional Licensure until the teacher has completed three years of licensed teaching in North Carolina.   HB 563: 30 Min. Duty-Free Lunch for Teachers  This bill would provide 30-minute duty-free lunch to full-time assigned classroom teachers starting in the 2019-2020 school year to the maximum extent that i) the safety and proper supervision of children may allow during regular student contact hours and ii) insofar as funds are provided for this purpose by the General Assembly.   HB 653: School Transportation Personnel Salary Changes  This bill would require the State Board of Education to direct DPI to survey LEAs to determine the cost of salary revisions to reclassify and establish positions related to school transportation.   HB 485: Virtual Early Learning Pilot Program  This bill would provide $500,000 each year of the FY 2019-21 biennium to establish UPSTART, a virtual early learning program for “at-risk” preschool age children.   HB 493: Abuse & Neglect Resources  This bill would require the State Board of Education to adopt a policy to provide information to students in grades 6-12 on child abuse, neglect, and age-appropriate information on sexual abuse.

School Calendar Flexibility HB 837: School Calendar Flex/Low Performing Schools   HB 837 was filed this week which would exempt a low-performing school from the required opening and closing dates for three consecutive school years following the year that the State Board of Education identifies the school as low-performing.

Education Bill Crossover To date this session, 37 education bills have passed from one chamber to the other, with 1 bill becoming session law thus far.  Crossover is the long session date by which legislation without a financial component must pass from the originating chamber into the other chamber, in order for that legislation to be considered during the short session.    The K-12 Public Education bills that made crossover this week are listed below: HB 21: Revise McDowell County Bd of Educ. Districts  LOCAL BILL HB 151: Katelyn's Law HB 437: Education on the Holocaust and Genocide HB 517: Stokes Co. Bd. Ed./Requested Election Changes   LOCAL BILL SB 391: Expand Youth Internship Opportunities SB 392: Superint. May Approve Charter Facility Bonds SB 476: Reaffirm Local Control of Discipline Policies LINK to K-12 Public Education Bills that made Crossover.   The 2019 Crossover Deadline is Thursday, May 9.

2019 Long Session link for bills impacting K-12 education.

Bills Heard in the Senate/House Chamber or in a Committee This Week: 

House Bills (Excluding School Calendar Flexibility Bills)   

1. HB 21: Revise McDowell County Bd of Educ. Districts  LOCAL BILL
2. HB 105: Red-Light Cameras   LOCAL BILL
3. HB 110 (SB 90): Protect Religious Meeting Places
4. HB 151: Katelyn's Law
5. HB 434: Suicide Risk Ref./Mental Health/Teen Violence
6. HB 437: Education on the Holocaust and Genocide
7. HB 485: Virtual Early Learning Pilot Program
8. HB 493: Abuse & Neglect Resources
9. HB 517: Stokes Co. Bd. Ed./Requested Election Changes
10. HB 521: Provisional License/Teacher from Other State
11. HB 563: 30 Min. Duty-Free Lunch for Teachers
12. HB 626: Realistic Evaluation of Actuarial Liabilities
13. HB 653: School Transp. Personnel Salary Changes

Senate Bills (Excluding School Calendar Flexibility Bills)

1. SB 88 (HB 165): Electrician Requirements for Certain Orgs 
2. SB 295: NC HS Graduation as Evidence of Residency
3. SB 340: NC Skills-Gap Study

4. SB 374: Repeal Risky Retirement Payments

5. SB 391: Expand Youth Internship Opportunities

6. SB 392: Superint. May Approve Charter Facility Bonds

7. SB 399: Rehire High-Need Teachers
8. SB 438: Excellent Public Schools Act of 2019

9. SB 476: Reaffirm Local Control of Discipline Policies

10. SB 477: School Lease Payments-Use of Lottery Funds

11. SB 556: GSC People First Language 2019

12. SB 438: Excellent Public Schools Act of 2019
13. SB 219: Modify Teacher Licensing Requirements
14. SB 295: NC HS Graduation as Evidence of Residency
15. SB 399: Rehire High-Need Teachers
16. SB 600: Vets Children/Short-term Workforce Training
17. SB 621: Testing Reduction Act of 2019
18. SB 622: Tax Reduction Act of 2019

New Bills Filed This Week: 

House Bills (Excluding School Calendar Flexibility Bills)

1. HB 735: Adopt Rules Incorporating 2017 Food Code
2. HB 739: Protect State Employees & Contractor Rights
3. HB 742: NCFFA Additional Coordinator Positions
4. HB 746: Revise Students in Crisis Grants
5. HB 769 (Companion Bill = SB 580): Reduce Opp. Schol. Funds/Public Schools Funds
6. HB 776: NC CTE Foundation/Grant Admin
7. HB 777: Purchase Opt/Credit for Prior Year FT Service
8. HB 790: Restore State Emp/Teacher Retiree Med Benefit
9. HB 798: Low-Performing Schools
10. HB 838: Paid Holiday/Primary and General Elections
11. HB 844: Reduce School Bus Replacement Restrictions
12. HB 850: Repeal Right of Action/Capital Outlay Fund
13. HB 852: Historic School Preservation Act
14. HB 859 (Companion Bill = SB 580): Classroom Supplies to Teachers
15. HB 866: Clarify Priority Status of Certain Liens
16. HB 886: Study Participation of Operators in NC Pre-K
17. HB 888: Education Accommodations/Sickle Cell Disease
18. HB 890: Restore Master's Pay for Certain Teachers
19. HB 892: NC Green Schools
20. HB 900: Funds/K-8 Military Connected Schools Pilot
21. HB 913 (Companion Bill = SB350): Equal Funding for All Students/Hackney
22. HB 924: Teacher Contract Changes
23. HB 928: Funds/Adapted Sports Program
24. HB 931: Extended-Year Teacher Contracts/Study
25. HB 933: Study Career/Coll. Read. in Perf. Grades
26. HB 941: Pilot Program/Professional Teachers & Admins

Senate Bills (Excluding School Calendar Flexibility Bills)

• The Senate ended their bill filing for the 2019 Long Session on Wednesday, April 3, 2019
• Total Senate bills filed - 673 
• Total Senate bills affecting K-12 public education - 129

Next Week's Education-Related Legislative Calendar

 April 22-26 Legislative Meeting Calendar

Monday, April 22, 2019 

    1:00 p.m.: Senate: Session Convenes     Skeleton Session          Senate | Audio

    3:00 p.m.: House: Session Convenes      Skeleton Session           House | Audio

Thursday, April 25, 2019

   8:30 a.m.: House: Appropriations, General Government  

   9:00 a.m.: House: Elections and Ethics Law                             544 LOB | Audio

• HB 24: Ensure Student Safety at School Voting Sites

  10:00 a.m.: House: State and Local Government                  1228/1327 LB | Audio

• HB 375: Authorize Teacher-Government Employee Housing/Bertie
• HB 697: State Surplus Prop. Computers for Nonprofits

Friday, April 26, 2019

   8:30 a.m.: House: Appropriations, Education                                423 LOB

• House 2019-20 Budget

House Recess:  April 17 – April 24

Senate Recess: April 22 – April 26

North Carolina General Assembly 

ONLINE RESOURCES:

• Highlights of the NC Public School Budget 2018
• DPI/SBE Reports to the General Assembly
• About the Legislature
• Who Represents Me?
• How a Law is Made
• House Member List
• Senate Member List
• North Carolina Constitution
• House Page Program
• Senate Page Program
• Governor’s Page Program
• Youth Legislative Assembly
• Educational Resources
• An Introduction to the NC General Assembly – Elementary School Ages
• NC Government – Middle School Ages

Legislative Info and Acronyms  This section includes details pertaining to acronyms and bill information referenced throughout the K-12 Education Legislative Update newsletters.   Biennium- A two-year term of legislative activity Public Bill- Legislation enacted into law that applies to the public at large Local Bill- Legislation put into law that has limited application (How many counties)- Local bills do not have to be signed by the governor Sponsor- The legislator who presents a bill or resolution for consideration Resolution- A document that expresses the sentiment or intent of the legislature or a chamber. Resolutions, when finalized, go to the Secretary of State   Glossary of Legislative Terms- LINK   DPI = NC Department of Public Instruction LEA = Local Education Agency NCGA = North Carolina General Assembly LB/LOB = Legislative Building/Legislative Office Building  SBE = North Carolina State Board of Education   AB = Agency Bill HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill JR = Joint Resolution SL = Session Law GS = General Statute  PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute  FY = Fiscal Year

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Cecilia Holden  – Director of Government and Community Relations |  919-807-3406
• Anne Murtha  –  Legislative Specialist  |  919-807-3403
• Greear Webb – Legislative Intern

To view previous 2019 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.