|
Friday, September 19, 2025 |
|
Highlights
WRAL News - Paul Specht and Jack Hagel | Sept. 16, 2025: Leaders of the North Carolina House and Senate, who remain far apart on the state's overall spending priorities, are working on a mini-budget to enable continued funding for health care initiatives. The preliminary proposal also recommends increased cuts to DHHS services for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse, people familiar with the plan said.
Education Week - Matthew Stone — Sept. 15, 2025: The Trump administration has dropped a proposal that would have made it so schools no longer had to provide both boys and girls the chance to play noncontact sports as a condition of receiving U.S. Department of Energy funding. The federal agency took the unusual step of proposing the rule change under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination at schools, in May. The U.S. Department of Education generally takes the lead on Title IX regulations.
WUNC - Liz Schlemmer | Sept. 15, 2025: By January, a new state law will require NC school districts to restrict students’ cell phone use. Some schools were already trying similar policies, and students say they're less distracted in class.
Summary of provisions related to student cell phone use in HB 959, which became law on July 1. Liz Schlemer - WUNC
October Board Meeting
- Wednesday, October 1
- Thursday, October 2
Planning & Work Session - November 4-6, 2025
About the State Board of Education
YouTube recordings of SBE meetings HERE.
|
 Strategic Plan Regional Tours
Join us for a public forum in each of the eight education regions. The evening event will include a program about the strategic plan by Superintendent Green. If you are unable to attend the events in person, there will be a virtual option in November.
- There will be greeters at the facility entrance to direct you to the location of the event.
- Please bring your ideas for how your work aligns with the Strategic Plan. There will be an interactive technology option, so bring a device such as a phone or laptop if you want to participate.
- For any accommodations (e.g., language translation, sign language interpreters, alternative formats, wheelchair access) please email mowantstoknow@dpi.nc.gov in advance of the meeting.
South Central High School - 570 Forlines Road Winterville, NC 28590
Southeast - Jacksonville, Onslow County: Friday, September 26
Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center - 261 Northwest Corridor Boulevard Jacksonville, NC 28540
Lumberton High School - 3901 Fayetteville Road Lumberton, NC 28358
More information about the strategic plan is available here: go.ncdpi.gov/bestinnation.
Celebrate the Good in Public Education
DPI | Sept. 17, 2025 - A Q&A with Senior Director Shaun Kellogg
As senior director of NCDPI’s Office of Research & Promising Practices (ORPP), Shaun Kellogg leads a team that helps North Carolina’s public schools make evidence-based decisions and elevate strategies that measurably improve student outcomes. ORPP’s portfolio spans rigorous evaluations, statewide data infrastructure and a clearinghouse that spotlights practices educators can adopt for their own classrooms.
What are your top priorities for the 2025-26 school year?
On the research side, we’re focused this year on launching North Carolina’s Skills for the Future initiative, advancing our statewide longitudinal data system and building out a cross-sector postsecondary outcomes dashboard. These efforts are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and focus on measuring students’ durable skills such as collaboration and critical thinking, as well as leveraging National Student Clearinghouse data to track college enrollment, persistence and completion.
On the promising practices side, our goal is to elevate and scale what’s working well in our public schools. Using an asset-based approach called “positive deviance,” we’re currently working on identifying “bright spot” schools that have been effective at reducing chronic absenteeism despite facing similar constraints as other schools. In the coming school year, we’ll work closely with educators to translate insights gained from these schools into practical strategies, and then pilot and assess these promising practices across a network of schools.
Read all the Q&As here.
|
K-12 Education Bills
Bills ≠ Laws
Only a few dozen bills typically make it “across the finish line” and become law each legislative session.
- For the current 2025 legislative session, 1,800+ total bills were introduced.
- Of these, 89 bills have become law so far.
- Of these 89 new laws, NCGA staff have noted 37 laws relate to education in some way.
K-12 Education Bills to Watch
The following bills affecting K-12 education are still eligible for additional legislative action this session. All of the bills have already been placed on the House Calendar for a potential veto override attempt on Monday, September 22, 2025.
-
HB 87 Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA).
-
HB 171 Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI.
-
SB 50 Freedom to Carry NC.
-
SB 153 North Carolina Border Protection Act.
-
SB 227 Eliminating "DEI" in Public Education.
|
|
 |
|
|
North Carolina General Assembly
Monday, September 22, 2025 - House and Senate to reconvene at 12:00 PM but votes unlikely.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
House: House Select Committee on Government Efficiency
House: Finance
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery
Thursday, September 25, 2025 - To Be Determined
The NCGA is currently scheduled to reconvene on the following remaining dates, although legislative action on these dates, if any, is still to be determined:
o Sept. 22-25, 2025
o Oct. 21, 2025
o Nov. 18, 2025
o Dec. 16, 2025
o Jan. 13, 2026
o Feb. 10, 2026
o March 10, 2026
o April 7, 2026
o April 21, 2026 — Start of 2026 Short Session
State Budget Information & Resources
2025 State Budget Proposal
2025 State Budget Update
2023 State Budget
Other State Budget Resources
K-12 Education Legislation Resources
Enacted Hurricane Helene Recovery Legislation
|
Useful Acronyms
DPI = Department of Public Instruction
GS = General Statute
HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill
JR = Joint Resolution
LB/LOB = Legislative Building/Legislative Office Building
LEA = Local Education Agency
NCGA = North Carolina General Assembly
PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute
PSU = Public School Unit
SBE = North Carolina State Board of Education
SL = Session Law
For the glossary of education acronyms/terms, click here.
For the glossary of legislative terms, click here.
|
|
EdNC - Chantal Brown | Sept. 16, 2025
Educators, state leaders, and students around the state are celebrating Arts in Education Week, which takes place Sept. 14-20, through performances and advocacy. In North Carolina, state leaders are also honoring arts in education as a key part of student development.
Earlier this month, the state’s arts educators convened in Raleigh for the North Carolina Comprehensive Arts Education Conference. Participants discussed teaching practices in dance, music, theater, and visual arts, according to a Facebook post from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
To celebrate the week, DPI also invited three different districts to showcase their student performers at its headquarters in Raleigh. Here’s the schedule of events:
You can read more about each of the school’s programs here, or watch the performances on DPI’s YouTube channel.
On Monday, State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green also released a video highlighting the state’s commitment to arts education. “The arts are not a luxury. They are a right for each of our 1.5 million public school students in North Carolina,” he said.
Applications are now open for the 2025–2026 North Carolina Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA)
Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA) is a mock legislative session where high school students voice their opinions and vote on issues concerning local, state and national government.
The conference allows high school students an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the workings of local, state, and national government. Active participation in YLA increases the students' confidence and ability to debate current issues.
Any high school student in good standing at a public, private, charter, or home school in North Carolina is eligible to participate in YLA. Just complete the student application; you do not have to have a member of the NC General Assembly to sponsor you to participate in the Youth Legislative Assembly.
Click here to subscribe to the weekly legislative update or other NC Department of Public Instruction topics.
To view previous K-12 Education Legislative Updates, click here.
NCDPI Office of Government Affairs: Anne Murtha – Legislative Specialist
|
|
|
|
|
