The Week In Review and Looking Forward into Next Week

Quiet Week at the General Assembly 

The General Assembly remained out of town all week so there was no movement of K-12 education legislation.  Meanwhile, new members were appointed to the North Carolina General Assembly to fill recently vacated seats.  Former NCGA House member Rob Bryan will fill the seat of Sen. Dan Bishop Mecklenburg County who was recently elected to 9th Congressional District in Congress.  Dr. Perrin Jones will replace former House member Dr. Greg Murphy Pitt County who won the special election to fill North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District. Jones will be formally sworn in at the General Assembly on Tuesday and Rob Bryan’s appointment is pending approval by the Governor.

Both the House and Senate will return to Raleigh next week and the legislative calendar can be found here.  In addition, the State Board of Education will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3.  Board agendas and meeting material links are highlighted in the section below.

State Board of Education - October Meeting

The SBE will hold their monthly meeting next week on Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3.    The agendas can be found through the links below: Agenda for October 2 located here. Agenda for October 3 located here.

Status of Mini Budgets

 LINK to History of Budget Resources

What Happens to Mini-Budgets if HB 966 Budget Bill Becomes Law?

STATE BUDGET ACT APPLICABILITY – The following language is included in all Mini-Budgets:

“If any provision of the following acts and G.S. 143C-5-4 are in conflict, the provisions of this act shall prevail. The appropriations and the authorizations to allocate and spend funds which are set out in this act shall remain in effect until the Current Operations Appropriations Act for the applicable fiscal year becomes law, at which time that act shall become effective and shall govern appropriations and expenditures. When the Current Operations Appropriations Act for that fiscal year becomes law, the Director of the Budget shall adjust allotments to give effect to that act from July 1 of the fiscal year.”

2019 New K-12 Education Laws

• List of New K-12 Education Laws and Chaptered Resolutions here.

• Complete List of Bills that are Session Law here.

For complete bill history and summaries, click on the bill link.

Relevant Bills with Action

Education Bills Vetoed by the Governor This Session

• HB 966: 2019 Appropriations Act  VETO Message | House veto override on 9/11/2019
• Base budget appropriations for current operations of state agencies, departments, and institutions. Governor Cooper’s veto message states his disappointment in the budget based on differing priorities between the Governor and General Assembly.
• SB 392: Various Charter School Changes  BILL SUMMARY   VETO Message
• Makes various changes to the laws affecting charter schools. Governor Cooper’s veto message states his concern about the lift on enrollment caps for virtual charter schools due to the low performance of schools in this pilot.
• SB 438: Excellent Public Schools Act of 2019  VETO Message
• An act to modify the implementation of the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program in order to attain statewide reading proficiency by the third grade.
• SB 533: Regulatory Reform Act of 2019  VETO Message
  • Would amend several State laws related to State and local government regulation, and agricultural, energy, environmental, and natural resources regulation. Would require NC Pre-K operators to provide parents with information pertaining to public and private school options in the county.    

Complete List of Bills Vetoed by the Governor here.

K-12 Education Bills - Last Movement This Week

• Passed the House - Sent to the Senate  

• None

• Passed the Senate - Sent to the House 

• None

• Conference Committee 

• Bills in Conference Committee: LINK

• Bills that are filed, referred to a committee or calendared for the House or Senate Floor 

• None 

• Presented to the Governor

• None 

For complete bill history and summaries, click on the bill link.

2019 Long Session LINK for bills impacting K-12 education. LINK to K-12 Public Education Bills that made Crossover. NCGA Crossover List - LINK.

Continued Investment in the Student Perspective

Student Advisors Join State Board

Board members this month welcomed two new student advisors to fill the two non-voting high school positions that have been vacant for an extended period.   Joining the board are Meredith Gaskill, a senior at Carson High School in the Rowan-Salisbury district, and Nate Kolk-Tomberlin, a junior at Apex High School in Wake County.   Here’s some of what Meredith said in her application for the board post: “I am passionate about the success of young people and I recognize the importance of education in this process, I’m not afraid of voicing my opinion, and my entire formal educational experience has been in NC’s public school system so I can offer a current and past perspective.   The world we live in is increasingly more complex due to globalization and the pace of technological change. Education is critically important in preparing students for this world and must adapt to the changing needs of society. As one who is passionate about every student pursuing their full potential and positively impacting the world, I am excited about the possibility of working with the SBE on their tremendously important role.

Education is a topic frequently discussed in my household as my mother and sister are both educators. This, combined with my experiences and discussing education within my community, has made me a more thoughtful student who is comfortable respectfully expressing my reasoned opinions. As a life-long public school student, I am keenly aware of the rewards and challenges of NC’s public school system. I would happily use my current and past experiences to give the board insights from a student’s perspective.   Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I would welcome the opportunity to be an advocate for fellow and future students in North Carolina.”   Nate said he applied for the student advisor position because he believes he can bring a fair and objective view of his peer’s opinions and perspectives to the State Board of Education and he wants to learn about politics at the state level.

Next Week's Education-Related Legislative Calendar

September 30 - October 4: Legislative Meeting Calendar

Monday, September 30, 2019

  4:00 p.m.: Senate: Session Convenes - No Vote Session                                   Senate | Audio

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

 10:00 a.m.: House: Appropriations                                                                    643 LOB | Audio

 11:00 a.m.: House: Session Convenes - No Vote Session                                    House | Audio

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   HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill JR = Joint Resolution SL = Session Law GS = General Statute  PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute

OFFICE OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTACT INFORMATION:

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

OFFICE OF THE NC SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Karson Nelson –  Legislative Assistant 

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.