Bill Summary for S 15 (2017-2018)

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Summary date: 

Jun 5 2018

Bill Information:

View NCGA Bill Details2017-2018 Session
Senate Bill 15 (Public) Filed Thursday, January 26, 2017
AN ACT TO MODIFY THE INNOVATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT STATUTES; TO CLARIFY ELIGIBILITY FOR NEEDS-BASED PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL FUND GRANTS; AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE TRIANGLE LITERACY COUNCIL.
Intro. by J. Davis, Tillman.

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Bill summary

House committee substitute makes the following changes to the 2nd edition.

Deletes the previous provisions. Changes the act's long and short titles, and now provides the following. 

Part I

Amends GS 115C-75.5(5), which defines a qualifying school as it applies to Innovative School Districts (ISDs) as a low-performing school that meets one of two criteria. Modifies the first qualifying criteria, which requires the school having earned an overall school performance score in the lowest 5% of all schools in the prior school year and having met three additional requirements. Eliminates the third requirement from the first qualifying criteria, which required that one of the models established in GS 115C-105.37B for continually low-performing schools had not been adopted for that school for the immediate prior school year. 

Amends GS 115C-75.7, providing that the limitation that the State Board of Education (State Board), upon recommendation of the ISD Superintendent, can select no more than five qualifying elementary schools to transfer to the IDS as innovative schools applies through the 2019-20 school year. Provides that, beginning with the 2021-22 school year, the ISD Superintendent can recommend up to two additional qualifying schools per school year for State Board approval so long as schools that have been in the ISD for three or more school years have earned a grade of C or higher under GS 115C-12(9)c1. Requires the State Board to select the prospective innovative schools no later than November 15 (was, December 15) pursuant to the selection process described in subsection (b). Requires a local board of education that chooses to close a school rather than transfer the school into the ISD, upon notification by the ISD Superintendent of selection by the State Board of the qualifying school as a prospective innovative school, to submit a plan to the State Board that outlines the impact of closure, including information addressing the reassignment of students and staff, school bus travel time, and alternative enrollment options for students. Requires the local board to adopt a resolution by December 15 (was, February 1) consenting to transfer of the selected qualifying school to the ISD or closing that school.

Amends GS 115C-75.9, concerning facility and capital expenditures in the management of innovative schools. Establishes that the innovative school operator has first priority in use of the facility and capital expenditures at the school (was, has first priority in the use of the facility) for any purpose related to the operation of the innovative school. Adds to the definition of facility and capital expenditures any existing IT network, hardware, computers, instructional technology, phones, and related cabling. Further amends the statute, modifying subsection (f) to require the innovative school operator and the local board of education to finalize the authorized memorandum of understanding for alternate arrangements that address facility and capital expenditures, transportation services, or services for children with disabilities within 45 days (was, 30 days) of the initial request by the innovative school operator. Makes conforming change to direct the State Board to resolve any issues in dispute if the parties have not completed the memorandum of understanding within 45 days (was, 30 days). Adds new requirement to subsection (h), requiring the innovative operator to obtain input and approval of the ISD Superintendent in selecting and hiring the school principal for the innovative school. Adds a new provision permitting a teacher employed with career status under GS 115C-325 and assigned to a school transferred to the ISD who accepts employment at that ISD school to return to the local school administrative unit with career status upon the end of employment at the ISD school. 

Amends GS 115C-75.13, permitting a low-performing school in an innovation zone to become an innovative school if that low-performing school does not exceed expected growth in the last two years of the five consecutive years in the innovation zone (currently, this is mandatory).

Part II

Amends GS 14-234, which prohibits public officers and employees from benefiting from public contracts, to except from the prohibition employment contracts between a local board of education and the spouse of the superintendent of a county administrative unit located in a county having a population of 65,000 or fewer according to the most recent official federal census or of a city local school administrative unit located in whole or in part in a city having a population of 15,000 or fewer according to the most recent official federal census.