The legislature has concluded their business in Raleigh for a while but will likely be returning periodically throughout the year. The following is an update on the bills impacting public education.
S818 This is the bill that provides teachers a $300.00 bonus and encourages the governor to use COVID-19 funds to allocate an additional bonus. The governor signed this bill into law, which is surprising considering his veto last fall of the bill awarding teacher raises of an average 3.9%. PENC is highly disappointed that the legislative process left only teachers and non-certified employees without a true pay raise. We will continue to remind the governor and legislature of this omission.
H1225 We previously reported on a bond bill that would allocate around a billion dollars to our schools for capital needs. After passage in the House, this bill failed to pass in the Senate. The legislature will likely return periodically throughout the year, but for now, this bill remains on the shelf.
S113 Also seeing passage was an Omnibus Education Bill. This bill expands school districts’ ability to offer remote instructional days. It also included other omnibus education matters such as additional funding for child nutrition programs. The full bill is provided in the link above.