Bill Summaries: S125 REGIONAL SCHOOLS (NEW).

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  • Summary date: Jun 30 2011 - View Summary

    AN ACT TO PERMIT LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO JOINTLY ESTABLISH REGIONAL SCHOOLS. Summarized in Daily Bulletin 4/26/11, 5/11/11, and 6/15/11. Enacted June 23, 2011. Effective June 23, 2011.


  • Summary date: Jun 15 2011 - View Summary

    House committee substitute, reported in on 6/14/11, makes the following changes to the 4th edition.
    Amends GS 115C-238.56G(1)d., as enacted by this act, if House Bill 200, 2011 Regular Session (HB 200) becomes law, requiring the board of directors of a regional school to adopt a school calendar of a minimum of 185 instructional days covering at least nine calendar months (current law is 180 instructional days). Also amends GS 115C-238.56I(3), as enacted by this act, if HB 200 becomes law, to delete language giving priority to a career status teacher who requests a leave of absence from that teacher’s LEA in order to teach at a regional school on all positions for which that teacher is qualified at such time as the career status teacher may wish to leave the regional school and return to a public school in the LEA.


  • Summary date: May 11 2011 - View Summary

    Senate committee substitute makes the following changes to 3rd edition. Amends proposed GS 115C-238.56B to clarify that a regional school is a school created under proposed GS 115C-238.56C which includes grades nine through twelve and may include grades seven and eight. Also defines regional school board of directors or board of directors as the governing board of a regional school appointed under GS 115C-238.56D.
    Amends GS 115B-2(a)(6) to clarify that the waiver of tuition for a student enrolled in a regional school who enrolls in classes at a UNC constituent institution or community college applies only if there is a written agreement between the regional school and the constituent institution or community college.
    Under current law, in order to establish a cooperative innovative high school program under Part 9 of GS Chapter 115C, Article 16, a local board of education must make a joint application with at least one local board of trustees of a community college, constituent institution of the University of North Carolina, or private college located in North Carolina. Amends GS 115C-238.50A to define the term local board of education to mean a local board as defined in GS 115C-5(5) or a regional school board of directors as defined in proposed GS 115C-238.56B(5).


  • Summary date: Apr 26 2011 - View Summary

    Senate committee substitute deletes all provisions of the 2nd edition and replaces with AN ACT TO PERMIT LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO JOINTLY ESTABLISH REGIONAL SCHOOLS. Creates Part 10 of Article 16 of GS Chapter 115C to authorize local boards of education to jointly establish a regional school, which may include partnerships with other education partners, including institutions of higher education and private businesses or organizations, to serve students enrolled in two or more local school administrative units (LEAs). Specifies that regional schools are exempt from statutes and rules applicable to local boards of education, unless otherwise indicated. To create a regional school, each local board of education must adopt a resolution including the following information: (1) Name of the regional school; (2) Names of all other local boards of education adopting resolutions to create the regional school; (3) Identification of one of the named LEAs to serve as the finance agent for the regional school; and (4) Identification of one of the named LEAs to provide school food services to the regional school. Provides that once the State Board of Education (SBoE) has received resolutions from all local boards of education identified in each resolution for the creation of a regional school, the SBoE must approve the creation of the regional school. The SBoE may approve the expansion of a regional school following the receipt of a petition to join an existing regional school, and after taking comment from the regional school board of directors.
    Creates a Board of Directors (Board) for each regional school consisting of: (1) one member appointed by the participating local boards of education from among the membership of the participating local boards of education; (2) the local superintendent of the LEA identified as the finance agent for the regional school will serve as an ex-officio member and an additional superintendent, as specified; (3) three members representing the business community appointed by the Economic Development Regional Partnership for the economic development region in which the regional school is located with at least one of the appointees being a resident of the county in which the regional school is located; (4) one member appointed by the Parent Advisory Council from its membership; and (5) any institution of higher education partner may appoint a representative of the institution of higher education to serve as an ex officio member of the Board. Specifies terms, organization, procedures, and ten powers of the Board, and designates the Board as a corporate entity and delineates its corporate powers. Details residency requirements for students, admission criteria, and provides for staff appointments.
    Establishes a Parent Advisory Council consisting of two members appointed by each local board of education for the participating LEAs to serve as a resource and provide input to the Board as to the operation of the regional school. Specifies formula for the SBoE and participating local boards of education to follow in allocating funds to the school. Provides that the LEA identified as the finance agent by resolution will serve as the finance agent for the Board, with reasonable compensation for the service. Requires that participating LEAs develop a plan to provide transportation to the students residing in the district. Provides that the LEAs are to provide, to the extent practicable, school food services to the regional school. Permits the LEAs identified by resolution, but not other participating LEAs, to include eligible students enrolled in the school for purposes of federal funding through federally supported food service programs including the National School Lunch Program. Allows for criminal history checks for school personnel, and directs the board of directors to adopt a policy for the checks, as specified. States that all information received from the checks is privileged and not a public record. Includes immunity provision. Makes it a Class A1 misdemeanor to willfully falsify information on employment applications.
    Amends GS 115B-2(a) to add students enrolled in a regional school to those persons who are permitted to attend classes without paying tuition at the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and the community colleges as defined in GS 115D-2(2). Makes conforming changes to GS 114-19.2 (Criminal records check of school personnel) and GS 126-5(c1) (state employees exempt from certain provisions of GS Chapter 126).


  • Summary date: Feb 24 2011 - View Summary

    Creates Article 15A of GS Chapter 115C to establish the North Carolina School of Biotechnology and Agriscience (School) to offer a course of study for a high school diploma that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, with a special focus on biotechnology and agriscience. Provides that the School is to be (1) located at the Vernon G. James Research and Extension Center, (2) a public school, and (3) exempt from statutes applicable to a local board of education or a local school administrative unit (LEA) except as specified in proposed Article 15A. Identifies the participating units as the LEAs of Chowan, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties.
    Creates a Board of Directors (Board) for the School consisting of: (1) one member appointed by the participating local boards of education from among the membership of the participating local boards of education, (2) the superintendent of Washington County Schools as an ex-officio member and an additional superintendent from among the participating LEAs selected by the superintendents from the participating LEAs, (3) three members representing the business community appointed by the North Carolina’s Northeast Commission with at least one of the appointees being a resident of Washington County, (4) one member appointed by the Parent Advisory Council from its membership, and (5) the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCSU or the Dean’s designee as an ex officio member and directs the presidents of Beaufort Community College and the College of Albemarle to jointly select a president or a president’s designee to serve as an ex officio member of the Board. Specifies terms, organization, procedures, and powers of the Board and designates the Board as a corporate entity and delineates its corporate powers.
    Authorizes the Board to set the course of study for the School. Provides priorities for admission and sets attendance requirements and other operational provisions for the school.
    Establishes a Parent Advisory Council consisting of two members appointed by each local board of education for the participating LEAs to serve as a resource and provide input to the Board as to the operation of the School. Specifies formula for the State Board of Education and LEAs to follow in allocating funds to the school. Provides that the Washington County Board of Education is to serve as the finance agent for the Board, with reasonable compensation for the service. Requires that participating LEAs that provide transportation for students enrolled in that LEA must also provide transportation to students domiciled within that LEA to the School. Provides that Washington County Schools is to provide, to the extent practicable, school food services to the School. Permits Washington County, but not other participating LEAs, to include eligible students enrolled in the School for purposes of federal funding through federally supported food service programs including the National School Lunch Program. Allows for criminal history checks for school personnel.
    Amends GS 115B-2 to add students enrolled in the School to those persons who are permitted to attend classes without paying tuition at the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and the community colleges as defined in GS 115D-2(2). Makes conforming changes to GS 114-19.2 (Criminal records check of school personnel) and GS 126-5(c1) (state employees exempt from the provisions of GS Chapter 126).