Senate committee substitute makes the following changes to 1st edition.
Amends the definition of summer reading camp in proposed GS 115C-83.1C to require summer camps to include at least three hours (rather than five and a half hours) of instructional time per day. Amends proposed GS 115C-83.1G (elimination of social promotion) to specify that one of the good cause exemptions (which may exempt a student from mandatory retention in the third grade) applies to students who have received reading intervention and have previously been retained more than once in kindergarten, first, second, or third grades. Makes a conforming change. Clarifies that the required developmental screening is administered beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Amends GS 115C-12(9)c1. to also require the State Board of Education (SBE) to give each local school administrative unit a school performance score on a scale of zero to 100 as part of the annual report card. Amends GS 115C-47(58) to clarify that each local board of education must share and report the report card for each school for the current and previous four school years. Adds a corresponding clarification for charter school report cards. Makes conforming changes. Makes modifications to the methods by which the SBE calculates and awards school performance scores and grades. Amends GS 115C-174.12(a)(4) to also exempt final exams for courses with national and international curriculums from the test scheduling guidelines.
Amends GS 115C-84.2 to require a school calendar to include a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction, and adds a requirement for three teacher workdays. Makes modifications to the opening and closing dates for public schools. Makes conforming changes to various provisions of GS Chapter 115C, and makes the changes effective beginning in the 2013-14 school year. Reduces the appropriations previously allocated to fund the expansion of five instructional days for days that a local school administrative unit has not requested and received a waiver for, as follows: (1) reduces from $1.2 million to $40,168 the funds for noninstructional support personnel, and (2) reduces from $10,150,000 to $351,469 the funds for transportation. Clarifies that local boards of education must develop a performance pay plan for all licensed personnel (previously required plan beginning in 2013-14), and also allows members of the public to submit plans to specified entities by April 15, 2013. Directs SBE to report to specified entities on the achievement-based compensation models developed for the Race to the Top grant by April 15, 2013.
Adds a section to amend Section 10.7(f) in the Appropriations Act of 2011 to direct the Division of Child Development and Early Education to establish income eligibility requirements for the NC Pre-K program that do not exceed 75% of the state median income; allows up to 20% of enrolled children to have family incomes over the cutoff if they have other designated risk factors (currently, the Division serves at risk children regardless of income). Repeals Section 10.7(h) in the Appropriations Act of 2011, which established a parent co-payment requirement. Appropriates $11,308,363 for 2012-13 from the General Fund to the Division of Child Development and Early Education in the Department of Health and Human Services to add 2,261 slots to the NC Pre-K program.
Repeals Section 5 of SL 2011-379, which prohibited teacher prepayment under GS 115C-302.1(b). Effective July 1, 2012.
Amends GS 105-134.6(b) to allow an eligible educator a tax deduction up to $250 for books and other school supplies. Effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.
Amends proposed GS 115C-325.3 (which previously provided for annual teacher contracts) to set a contract between a local board of education and a teacher employed less than three years at a term of one school year. Sets a contract or the renewal of a contract for teachers employed three years or more at a term of one, two, three, or four school years. Requires the superintendent, in his or her recommendation for contract renewal, to include the length of the contract term. Makes conforming changes to remove the term annual from the proposed provisions. Specifies that all teachers will be employed on a contract for a term of one year in the 2012-13 school year.
Makes additional clarifying and technical changes, and makes conforming changes to the bill title.