Legislative Update: April 28, 2025
- Aidan McInnis
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Legislative Update: April 28, 2025
Introduction
The session is in full swing. Both bill-filing deadlines have passed, meaning that all bills for the 2025 Session have been filed. The filing deadline was also early, leading to a smaller total number of bills being filed. Most of the bills will either be included in the budget as policy or not at all, as the crossover deadline is quickly approaching. The Senate was the first to propose its budget this session, with the House to follow later in the year.
Bill Summaries:
Requires public school units (PSUs) to create individualized health plans for students diagnosed with seizure disorders, developed in coordination with their parents. It mandates that the State Board of Education establish standardized medical conditions and emergency response plans for schools. Each school must have at least one staff member trained in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques. The bill strengthens existing health care provisions in schools by expanding training requirements and clarifying emergency response procedures.
Re-referred to the House Committee On Appropriations
Requires all public school units to adopt a policy limiting or eliminating the use of cell phones by students during instructional time, effective with the 2025–2026 school year. Parents must be notified of the policy at the beginning of each year. The bill exempts remote and virtual schools from this requirement.
Passed the House
Referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate
Allows retired teachers to return to the classroom as "high-need retired teachers" without impacting their retirement benefits, provided they meet specific criteria and work under annual contracts. These teachers would be paid at designated steps of the salary schedule, with higher pay for those in STEM or special education. The bill includes provisions to ensure compliance with federal regulations, including a requirement for a private letter ruling from the IRS to maintain the status of the retirement system. It also outlines funding, administrative procedures, and an expiration date of June 30, 2029.
Re-referred to the House Committee On Appropriations
Establishes a pilot program allowing specific eligible local school administrative units (LEAs) greater flexibility in financial decisions and teacher hiring through a Financial and Hiring Flexibility Plan (FHFP). Participating LEAs could employ up to 50% of teachers in each school without a state license, provided they meet specific training requirements, and would be exempt from standard school calendar restrictions. The bill sets performance and reporting requirements, with potential for plan termination if academic or fiscal goals are not met. It also includes guidelines for allocating and utilizing state funds under the program, as well as mandates for regular reporting to ensure accountability and evaluate outcomes.
Passed the House
Referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate
Requires the State Board of Education and the State Board of Community Colleges to develop community college courses that fulfill high school graduation requirements. It would allow specific completed college courses to count toward high school credits beginning in the 2025–2026 school year. The bill also removes Math III as a required course for high school graduation, starting with the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, the boards must report on the progress of course alignment and continue refining dual enrollment opportunities.
Passed the House Committee on Education K-12
Re-referred to the House Committee on Higher Education
Requires the State Board of Education to revise high school math graduation requirements, mandating completion of NC Math 1 and 2 or their equivalents, along with two additional math courses aligned with students' postsecondary plans. It introduces an extended pathway that allows students to take Math 1 and 2 over four separate courses, providing additional instructional time, with end-of-course tests administered at the end of the extended sequences. Students who score below proficiency in earlier math courses would be required to follow the extended pathway. The changes would take effect beginning with the 2025–2026 school year, with emergency rules authorized for timely implementation.
Referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations in the House
A comprehensive education reform measure aimed at strengthening North Carolina’s teacher workforce and public school leadership. It allocates significant recurring funding for teacher salary increases, professional development, and recruitment efforts, with a particular focus on high-need schools and increasing diversity in the educator pipeline. The bill expands and funds programs like Teaching Fellows, Grow-Your-Own, and 2+2 initiatives, and establishes new grant programs and a School Leadership Academy. It also discusses many other areas.
Referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Reinstate education-based salary supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel, including school social workers, and require local boards of education to publicize salary schedules for occupational therapists and physical therapists.
Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations
Amends statutes requiring that students get the phone number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on any new student ID issued to a student in grades 6-12. Applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Referred to the House Committee on Education K-12
Revises eligibility requirements for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program, expanding access to students in a broader range of situations, such as foster care or military families, and adjusting income thresholds. It introduces new definitions for full-time and part-time students and modifies the calculation of scholarship amounts based on income and enrollment status. The bill also increases accountability for nonpublic schools receiving these funds by requiring audits, testing data, teacher qualifications, and compliance with instructional standards and anti-discrimination policies. Additional reporting and transparency measures are included, and tuition increases at participating schools are capped at 5% annually. The act takes effect on July 1, 2025, for the 2025–2026 school year.
Referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
It provides tuition waivers or reductions for the children of long-serving public school teachers. It revives a program that allows qualifying retired teachers to return to the classroom without affecting their retirement benefits. The bill also directs the development of improved teacher evaluation tools and expands licensure reciprocity for out-of-state teachers from top-ranked states. Additionally, it strengthens reporting requirements for threats and assaults against teachers, mandating timely communication with law enforcement and parents. The bill includes several appropriations and takes effect in stages, beginning with the 2025–2026 academic year.
Referred to the House Committee on Education K-12
Appropriates $100,000 for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction to be provided to the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children for the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program. Requires the funds to be used for three specified services related to expanding the educator pipeline.
Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations
Requires local school boards to adopt policies regulating student internet access to ensure safety, privacy, and the availability of age-appropriate content. It mandates blocking social media platforms, including TikTok, on school devices and networks, except when used for approved educational purposes. The bill also introduces required instruction on the effects of social media on students’ social, emotional, and physical health, to be taught at multiple grade levels. These provisions take effect starting in the 2025–2026 school year.
Referred to the House Committee on Education K-12
Prohibits the State Board of Education and local school districts from requiring teachers to post lesson plans or objectives. It also bans assigning duties to teachers during their designated lunch periods. Additionally, it mandates that teachers be compensated for leading professional development sessions for their peers. These changes will take effect starting in the 2025–2026 school year.
Referred to the House Committee on Education K-12
Prohibits public school units in North Carolina from promoting or instructing on "divisive concepts" or engaging in discriminatory practices. It bans compelled belief in such concepts by students or staff, restricts related professional development, and prohibits schools from maintaining offices or roles focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill includes exemptions for First Amendment-protected speech and historical instruction that aligns with the state curriculum. Public school units must certify compliance annually to the Department of Public Instruction, with initial reports due by September 1, 2025.
Passed the Senate
Referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Senate Budget
The Senate Budget proposes $18.6 billion and $18.9 billion in annual education spending for each year of the biennium, with $12.1 billion and $12.4 billion allocated directly to K-12 education. Teachers will receive a 3.3% increase over the biennium, along with a $3,000 raise, with a 2.3% increase scheduled for 2025-2026. Career and Technical Education Teachers will receive a bonus of either $25 or $50 per student, depending on the academic rigor of the course and its employment value. The student must attain the relevant industry certification or credential for the teacher to be eligible for the bonus.
Permanent, full-time noncertified public school employees will receive a 1.25% raise. School administrators will also receive a 1.25% raise. The Senate Budget did not include pay increases for retirees and contained little to no education policy changes.
Upcoming
The House will begin its budget proposal this week, and we can expect to see it by the end of May. Then both chambers will meet in conference to discuss the final version. We expect to see most of the policy discussed and added to the bill at that point. We will keep you posted as things progress.
PENC Advocacy Team:
Tammy Beach
Bryan Holloway
Trevor Fulcher
Megan Miller
Robert Mitchell
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