Highlights
NCGA Passes Additional Mini Budget Bill During September Reconvening
Members of the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) passed another “mini budget” bill this week, which has now been sent to Governor Stein for final consideration. House Bill 358, Continuing Budget Operations Part II., includes $65.5 million for additional disaster relief and recovery, as well as funding for various capital improvement and economic development projects across the state. The bill also provides various technical adjustments and funding for higher education projects. Specifically for K-12 education, the bill includes the following provisions:
-
Section 2.2 (pg. 4) — Clarifies the timeline for military families living in temporary housing to provide proof of residency to enroll their student(s) in public schools.
-
Section 2.8 (pg. 5) — Clarifies that the four virtual cooperative innovative high schools or CIHS (Currituck, Hyde, Jackson, and Tyrrell) and two small specialty schools (Asheville City and Newton-Conover) that received funds during the 2024-2025 school year will continue to receive funding; the funding for those schools was eliminated in H125 (SL 2025-89).
-
Section 2.9 (pg. 5-6) — Authorizes and provides funding for three new CIHS in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Martin, and Moore; provides funding for previously-approved CIHS in Dare and Rockingham; and codifies in statute the supplemental funding for CIHS.
Legislative leaders are still far apart on a comprehensive state budget package but noted they may consider another mini-budget bill and other “time sensitive” matters when the NCGA next reconvenes on Monday, October 20.
AASA, The School Superintendents Association - Tara Thomas | Sept. 26, 2025: Congress must extend funding to keep the federal government open by midnight on September 30 to avert a government shutdown. As Congress heads toward this deadline without a clear path forward, a government shutdown seems increasingly likely. Here’s what district leaders need to know about how they will (and will not) be impacted.
Education Week - Mark Lieberman | Sept. 24, 2025: GEAR UP is among more than 40 education funding streams that the Trump administration in May proposed to eliminate beginning with the new federal fiscal year that starts next week. Lawmakers from both parties in Congress have since rejected most of those proposed cuts, and still aren’t close to passing a final budget. The administration has already announced plans to repurpose some of the funds it’s clawing back—including by launching new grant competitions for existing programs, and expanding investments in charter schools and civics instruction above the funding levels approved by Congress.
News & Observer – T. Keung Hui | Sept. 25, 2025: The Trump administration has awarded more than $50 million to a private, non-profit group to expand the number of charter school seats in North Carolina. The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that it’s releasing $500 million to the Charter Schools Programs, marking the largest investment ever in the program. The grants include $53 million over five years to the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools (NCAPCS), which supports charter schools across the state.
K-12 Dive - Kara Arundel | Sept. 25, 2025: The U.S. Department of Education is transferring day-to-day management of career and technical education programming to the U.S. Department of Labor, with the logistics and funding responsibilities laid out in an interagency agreement. Officials at the Education and Labor departments say this sharing of CTE responsibilities under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act is “commonsense” and will benefit students through streamlined services to states and districts. The department also said the agreement will lessen administrative burdens on states by reducing reporting requirements and aligning performance reporting requirements for programs covered under the agreement, to the extent possible.
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.
✔️ Northeast - Greenville, Pitt County: Thursday, September 25 - THANK YOU to all who attended!
Southeast - Jacksonville, Onslow County: Friday, September 26
Sandhills - Lumberton, Robeson County: [Monday, September 29] POSTPONED. New Date TBD
Piedmont-Triad - Greensboro, Guilford County: Thursday, October 16
Southwest - Charlotte, Mecklenburg County: Monday, October 20
Northwest - Morganton, Burke County: Wednesday, October 22
Western - Bryson City, Swain County: Thursday, October 23
North Central - Chapel Hill, Orange County: Wednesday, October 29
- 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.
More information about the strategic plan is available here: go.ncdpi.gov/bestinnation.
Celebrate the Good in Public Education
WUNC - Liz Schlemmer | Sept. 22, 2025: This year, Washington Elementary in Greensboro was named one of America's healthiest schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The award recognizes the work the school has done over the past few years to embed health and wellness into its culture. That commitment is built into students' school day, starting with what they call "morning movement." Research shows that when students have moderate to vigorous physical activity for about 20 minutes, their brains think more clearly for more than half an hour afterward. The students' performance on state tests increased by about 10 percentage points in recent years. The school also "exceeded growth" on state exams the last 2 years in a row, a measure that means students improved at a greater rate than expected. The school started a running club; found a community partner to teach students new sports; became a pilot site for Cone Health's telehealth services in schools; recruited athletes from NC A&T State University to record exercise videos for students; held community walks; and started wellness clubs where students learn about topics like nutrition or gardening.
|
K-12 Education Bills
New Session Laws
-
SB 775 General Assembly Appointments. Ch. SL 2025-90
On The Governor's Desk
-
HB 358 Continuing Budget Operations Part II. | Pres. To Gov. 9/23/2025
-
HB 926 Regulatory Reform Act of 2025. | Pres. To Gov. 9/25/2025
-
SB 245 Expand Remote Drivers License Services. | Pres. To Gov. 9/24/2025
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, October 20, 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.
Reminder: 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, 101 bills have become law so far.
- Of these 101 new laws, NCGA staff have noted 38 laws relate to education in some way.
|
|
