The Week In Review and Looking Forward into Next Week
 Senate Budget Soon to be Unveiled while Crossover Bills Making Way toward Committees
This week, hallways in the General Assembly were quiet whereas Senate lawmakers worked to wrap up their version of the biennium budget. The House focused on identifying which Senate crossover bills they would assign to committees for House members to consider. It has been reported that the House will not hold any votes until the middle of next week, awaiting the Senate to unveil and then vote on their budget.
To best represent the needs of the students and schools, State Board members and office staff often visit schools and districts, leveraging opportunities to listen to student, teacher and administrator voices across the state. On Friday, Teacher of the Year / SBE Teacher Advisor Freebird McKinney and SBE Director of Government and Community Relations Cecilia Holden attended the Rowan-Salisbury School District “Renewal Reveal”. Earlier this week, Mrs. Holden and SBE Intern Greear Webb, followed up on a presentation given last week by Enloe High School students, through conversations with high schooler Abigail Bloom. See below for additional information.
Next week, the focus of the General Assembly will be the Senate’s version of the budget. The Senate Appropriations on Education/Higher Education is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 2PM and the Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 8:30 AM. It is anticipated that the Senate will vote their version of the budget through by end of day on May 30, 2019.
Budget Process: Senate Prepares to Unveil Budget
HB 966 – 2019 Appropriations Act (House budget bill) will be considered by the following committees next week:
- Senate Appropriations on Education/Higher Education is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 2PM
- Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 8:30 AM.
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Important Budget Resources:
- HB 966: 2019 Appropriations Act here.
- Committee "Money" Report - 2nd Edition here.
- Education Items in the Governor's budget 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.
- Public School Capital Outlays Chart here.
- North Carolina School Finances website here.
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Called Board Meeting
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The State Board conducted a meeting on Thursday at 12 p.m. via conference call from the Education Building in Raleigh. After convening in public session, the board met in closed session.
The meeting agenda is available online and includes a link to audio access for the meeting.
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Relevant Bills with Action
Bills Heard in the Senate/House Chamber or in a Committee This Week:
May 20-24
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House Bills
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HB 667: Local Option Sales Tax Flexibility: The House voted unanimously this week to approve HB 667. This bill would give counties more flexibility in using a quarter-cent of sales tax. Sales taxes are currently capped at 7 percent statewide, plus a quarter–cent for transit if county voters approve. HB 667 would also allow counties to use that extra quarter-cent for school construction, teacher supplements or other purposes as long as voters agree to it. The legislation is now headed to the Senate.
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Senate Bills
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SB 674: Surry Co./Mt. Airy/Elkin City/Bd. Ed Partisan: An act to change the method of election of the Board of Education of Surry County, the Board of Education of the Mount Airy City Schools Administrative Unit and the Board of Education of the Elkin City Administrative Unit from non-partisan to partisan.
Other K-12 Education Bills with Action This Week
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SB 366: 9th/10th Grade/College Transfer Pathways
This bill would expand the Career and Technical Education pathway to high school freshman and sophomores to include construction courses as well as expand the higher education transfer pathway to certain high school freshman and sophomores.
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HB 924: Teacher Contract Changes
An Act to Clarify Eligibility for Extended Teacher Contracts.
HB 961: Funds for Workforce Development/Hospitality
An Act to Appropriate Funds to Support the North Carolina Hospitality Education Foundation for Career and Technical Education in the Hospitality Industry.
HB 315: Instructional Material Selection
An Act to Modernize the Selection of Instructional Materials for North Carolina Public Schools.
HB 57: Create Term for Public Schs. & Codify NCVPS
An Act to Create a Term for Public Schools that Includes the Various Types of Public Schools in the State and to Codify the North Carolina Virtual Public School Program.
HB 107: PED Oversight/EPP Changes
An Act to Make Changes to the Educator Preparation Program Performance Standards and Data Reporting System.
HB 200: Various Education Changes
An Act to Make Various Changes to Education Laws and Combine Certain Education Reports, as Recommended by the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Instruction, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
HB 264: GSC Technical Corrections 2019
An Act to Make Technical Corrections to the General Statutes, as Recommended by the General Statutes Commission.
HB 798: Low-Performing Schools
An act to align the selection of Innovative Schools with those identified by the State Board of Education for comprehensive support and improvement, to expand options for the Innovative School District to require local boards of education to inform boards of County Commissioners of academic progress annually and to require further study of reforms for assistance to low-performing schools.
SB 354: Student Notice/Charter Schools Closure/Restr.
This bill would require at least seven days notice be given to parents of students enrolled in a charter school prior to a school's closing. SB 354 states that the closing school's board of directors shall notify the parents of enrolled students by electronic mail or the parents' preferred other method of written communication.
S295: NC HS Graduation as Evidence of Residency
An act to allow evidence of NC High School graduation for students to rebut the presumption that the student’s residence is the parent’s residence for establishing residency for in-state tuition for NC Community Colleges and Universities.
S500 (= H591): Modify Advanced Math Course Enrollment
An act to make certain modifications to the implementation of advanced math courses offered when practicable for grades three and higher.
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SB 448: Amend Appt For Compact on Education/Military
This bill would amend the requirements for an individual to be appointed as compact commissioner under the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.
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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.
Happy Memorial Day
Honoring Those Who Sacrificed All for Our Freedom
Thank you for your dedicated service and sacrifice to protect our freedom.
On this holiday of remembrance, in addition to all of our fallen soldiers, we honor the sacrifice that student Riley Howell (21 yrs old) made in protecting the lives of his UNC Charlotte classmates. Riley was a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) candidate who confronted and tackled the shooter, giving police officers time to capture the gunman and save the lives of dozens of Riley's classmates.
North Carolina previously enacted SL 2013-268 (HB 767) to honor our fallen soldiers.
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SL 2013-268 (HB 767): Enacts the Corporal Pruitt Rainey Brass to Class Act which directs SBE to establish rules to award credit for prior work experience given to certain veterans for the purpose of placing them on state salary schedules.
The following education bills support those currently serving in the Armed Forces, veterans and their families:
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HB 62: In-State Tuition/Members Served on USS NC
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HB 340: Amend Appt For Compact on Education/Military
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SB 230: Excused Absences for Military Children
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SB 239: Children of Wartime Vets/Scholarships
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SB 448: Amend Appt For Compact on Education/Military
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SB 600: Vets Children/Short-Term Workforce Training
To learn more about any of these bills, click on the hyperlinked bill number for the complete history and status of the bill. All of these bills have made Crossover and are pending further vetting to become state law.
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- 2019 Long Session link for bills impacting K-12 education.
- LINK to K-12 Public Education Bills that made Crossover.
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Renewal School System: What Is It?
Rowan-Salisbury Schools
The NC Renewal School System (RSS) is a system committed to redesigning education in order to create a personalized learning experience for all students. It is currently being administered in Rowan-Salisbury Schools and was enabled by HB 986. RSS focuses on teacher-led flexibility in the curriculum as well as flexibility in budgeting, hiring, and scheduling. RSS is crafted to empower teachers with the autonomy to adapt to and engage with each student’s unique needs.
On May 17, Rowan-Salisbury School District held a luncheon for their “Renewal Reveal”. RSS Superintendent Lynn Moody and local school teachers presented to an audience of community representatives, state legislators and other key education stakeholders, the efforts underway in the district to leverage the flexibility granted to the district through the legislation. Representing the NC State Board of Education were Freebird McKinney, Teacher of the Year and Cecilia Holden, SBE Director of Government and Community Relations.
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Photo on the left below includes (L to R) Freebird, former SBE member Greg Alcorn, Cecilia Holden and Executive Director at NC School Superintendents Association Jack Hoke. |
Photo on the right below includes (L to R) Freebird, Aimee Caudle, RSS Director of Innovation, Cecilia Holden, Rita RSS Director of Communications and Public Information, and former SBE Legislative Director Ann McColl. |
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State Board Selfie of the Week:
Continued Investment in the Student Perspective
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On Wednesday, SBE's Director of Government and Community Relations Cecilia Holden, along with intern Greear Webb, met with Enloe High School student Abigail Bloom to follow up on the presentation she recently gave to State Board and DPI staff regarding enhancing NC education. Abigail is a sophomore who has already mapped out her future with a career path to include classroom instruction. Time Abigail invested at an early age assisting her mom at preschool helped to crystalize her decision to be a teacher one day.
Abigail emphasized that her future priorities are to:
1) Make a difference in student's lives.
2) Delve deeper into the current processes of the education system at the local level (Wake County).
3) Make sure that NC fine-tunes education and stays up-to-date on modern educational trends.
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May 28-31: Legislative Meeting Calendar
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
2:00 p.m.: Senate: Session Convenes House | Audio
7:00 p.m.: House: Session Convenes Senate | Audio
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
8:30 a.m.: Senate Appropriations/Base Budget 643 LOB | Audio
H966: 2019 Appropriations Act.
1:00 p.m.: Senate: Finance 544 LOB | Audio
ONLINE RESOURCES:
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
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:
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.
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