The Week In Review and Looking Forward into Next Week

Mini-Budgets Continue

This week, legislators passed three additional "mini-budgets" and introduced two new ones, while the larger budget bill remains at an impasse.  General Assembly leadership told reporters earlier in the week that work continues behind the scenes to pull out education funding provisions from the vetoed state budget bill. It was further noted that measures for K-12, community colleges and UNC System funding will be up next.  Following that announcement, Community College funding provisions from the vetoed budget were rolled out in the House Appropriations Committee in a proposed committee substitute to Senate Bill 61. This passed the House and has moved to the Senate for their consideration. 

Of the previously introduced mini-budgets that have some impact on K-12 education, House Bill 387 Growing G.R.E.A.T. and House Bill 1001 Raise the Age Funding, were both ratified and sent to the Governor for his consideration. HB 387 bill would provide funding to help expedite the deployment of broadband in the rural areas of the state. HB 1001 would provide funding for four school counselor positions to the Department of Public Safety to provide reentry and placement services, career planning, vocational training, and other services for juveniles who are preparing to exit secure custody.

It has been reported that both chambers in the General Assembly are taking next week off in order to allow leadership to get an idea of what needs to happen before they adjourn. While the Senate announced October 31^st or sooner as their adjournment date, the House has yet to confirm a potential date. The House has stated they will not have votes again until Oct. 21. The legislative calendar can be found here. 

Mini Budgets

 LINK to History of Budget Resources

Webinar - Social Studies Standards Revision

October 15 from 10-11 a.m.

House Bill 924 became Session Law 2019-82 on July 8, 2019.  Among other things, language included in this bill requires public school students entering ninth grade in 2020-2021 to complete an economics and personal finance course as a requirement for high school graduation.  Furthermore, the bill provides clarifying language around requirements for high school civic literacy.    The NC Department of Public Instruction Social Studies team is hosting a webinar concerning policy implications for the Social Studies Standards Revision process.  This will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to offer feedback on policy implications.  The webinar will be held on October 15, 2019 from 10-11 am and will be recorded for anyone who cannot attend.  The NCDPI K-12 Social Studies team is deeply committed to ensuring the revision process includes the consideration of all concerns posed by educators in the schools and local districts. Register Here

NC Youth Legislative Assembly Accepting Applications 

                                                   

The North Carolina Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA) is a state program that has been in existence for over 49 years. This program continues to shape young leaders and provide them with a hands-on approach to government. The YLA program replicates a legislative atmosphere of geographic diversity similar to our legislature. In doing so, the YLA program builds, encourages, and strengthens character traits that equip students to take leadership roles in civic activities in their communities.

In April 2020, approximately 200 North Carolina high school students will convene at the NC General Assembly for YLA. If you know a high school student with an interest in government, please share this information with them. Applications for the Youth Legislative Assembly are now online and can be found at https://www.ncleg.gov/YLA.

If you have questions regarding the YLA program, please contact Erica Gallion, YLA Program Coordinator, at erica.gallion@ncleg.net or (919) 301-1372. 

Governor's Educator Discovery Award

Applications are due November 1st!

The NC Educator Discovery Award provides a stipend of up to $1,000 for preK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers to pursue a professional development experience of their choosing.    Eligibility: To be eligible for the Governor’s Educator Discovery Awards, North Carolina public and public charter school teachers must submit a proposal that includes details about their teaching  experience and the professional development activity they wish to pursue. Applicants also need to describe how their participation in the  professional development experience will enhance their efforts to create a work-based learning activity for their students. Click here to apply.   Upcoming Application Deadlines: November 1, 2019   Evaluation of Applications: Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of business leaders  and educators. Awardees will be notified of their selection via email at  the address provided in their application.  Frequently Asked Questions - HERE Sample Application Videos - HERE Questions? Contact LaTanya Pattillo, Gov. Cooper's Teacher Advisor, at latanya.pattillo@nc.gov   “Teachers are the most important factor in improving student success in our public schools. We want to give them more ways to get the training and professional development they need to connect their classroom to future career opportunities for their students.” - Governor Roy Cooper   Please forward this email to other educators!

The Governor's Educator Discovery Award is made possible by the members of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education. 

NC Teaching Fellows

MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TEACH

Forgivable loans of up to $4,125 per semester for students interested in teaching in a STEM or Special
Education area in NC public school.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
MIDNIGHT,  MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020
APPLY TODAY!
www.ncteachingfellows.com
@NCTF_Program

Application and Selection Process All applications must be submitted online by 11:59PM (EST) on Monday, January 13, 2020.  Applications that are incomplete, including those that do not include all necessary documentation, will not be considered. All applications will undergo an initial screening to verify eligibility. Applicants will be notified by email if their application is deemed ineligible. Eligible applications will move forward for evaluation by the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission, who will select the applicants that will be invited for a finalist interview. Invitations to finalist interviews will be sent by the end of February. Following the interviews, the NC Teaching Fellows Commission will conduct a final review to select those finalists who will be offered a Teaching Fellows award. All those offered an award will be notified by email by April 1, 2020. Awardees must accept or decline their award by 11:59PM (EST) on May 1, 2020.

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.

• Complete List of Bills Vetoed by the Governor here.

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

Relevant Bills with Action

SB 312: Relief to Ocracoke School/Hurricane Dorian

SB 312 Relief to Ocracoke School/Hurricane Dorian – An act to provide relief to the Ocracoke School to accommodate extraordinary circumstances due to Hurricane Dorian.  The bill passed the House this week and has been sent to the Senate for their consideration.  This bill provides calendar flexibility to the governing body of a local school administrative unit that closed any school under its control for more than 18 days due to unusual and extraordinary inclement weather conditions related to Hurricane Dorian. SB 312 also states that impacted employees shall be compensated in the same manner as they would have been had they worked on the scheduled instructional days missed.

K-12 Education Bills - Last Movement This Week

• Passed the House - Sent to the Senate  

• SB 312: Relief to Ocracoke School/Hurricane Dorian (Amended in House Rules (PCS) - Passed the House - Sent to the Senate for concurrence on 10/10/2019) BILL SUMMARY

• Passed the Senate - Sent to the House 

• None

• Conference Committee 

• SB 315: North Carolina Farm Act of 2019 (Conferees Changed on 10/8/2019)
• Bills in Conference Committee: LINK

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

• SB 690: Modifications to 2019 Appointments Bill (Senate failed to concur in House changes on 10/8/2019) 

• Presented to the Governor

• HB 1001: Raise the Age Funding - (Presented to the Governor on 10/11/2019) BILL SUMMARY

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.

Next Week's Education-Related Legislative Calendar

October 14 - 18: Legislative Meeting Calendar

Monday, October 14 2019 - Columbus Day 

10:00 a.m.: House: Session Convenes - No Vote Session All Week                  House | Audio

  2:00 p.m.: Senate: Session Convenes - No Vote Session All Week                Senate | 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.