SBOE Report: March 2025
The North Carolina State Board of Education met for its Planning Meeting on Wednesday, March 5th, and its Regular Meeting on Thursday, March 6th.
Both meetings usually have the same agenda, with the Regular Meeting being when and where the action items are voted on and/or action items/reports receive final approval to be sent or shared with the NCGA or adopted as policy for the NCSBOE.
3/5/2025 Planning Meeting Report
Morning action and discussion items included the Student Learning and Achievement Committee Meeting, which began with a presentation on Global Education. Below is the State Board of Education’s summary on Global Education:
“Global Education is the means to ensuring that our North Carolina public school graduates are globally engaged and productive citizens.
In 2011, the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBOE) formed the Global Education Task Force to assess the state's efforts to produce "globally competitive" graduates. This group gathered evidence from international, national, state, and local experts on global education and competitiveness, and they asked for recommendations from leaders in business and industry, higher education, the military, public schools, and various organizations.
Using this information, the Global Education Task Force noted six significant findings and outlined five commitments to ensure every public school student graduates fully prepared for the world where they will live, work, and contribute.
In 2013, the SBOE received the final report of the State Board of Education's Task Force on Global Education, "Preparing Students for the World" (January 2013). Several Global Education initiatives were created and established so that they could be maintained and continue to grow.
In 2018, a presentation was made at the October State Board of Education Meeting about all that had been accomplished in implementing the Global Education commitments.
In 2024, updates were implemented for the Global Education Recognitions to clarify and streamline how students, educators, schools, and districts could earn these recognitions.”
The presentation reflected on what has been accomplished and provided a long-term outlook on what future graduates should/would look like if the program yields the desired results.
The Education Innovation and Charter Schools Committee Meeting presented its new business, which included reviewing the Charter Schools Review Board's Feb. 2025 meeting. The committee then discussed a report to the NCGA on Career and College Promise Cooperative Innovative High School Programs. The report presentation can be found here.
After lunch, the Healthy Responsible Committee Meeting discussed the Whole Child North Carolina (WCNC) Advisory Committee Update. WCNC is an interagency advisory council tasked with seeking ways for children to access sound and basic education, which includes access to essential public health and inclusive community support.
Additionally, the committee presented for submission the 2023-2024 Consolidated Data Report, which is a required annual report on School Crime and Violence, Suspensions and Expulsions, Alternative Learning Placements, Reassignments for Disciplinary Purposes, Uses of Corporal Punishment, and Dropout Rates as required by North Carolina General Statute. The full report can be found here.
The Educator Standards and Practice Committee Meeting addressed minor policy amendments regarding CTE licensure, General licensing requirements, and the report to the General Assembly on Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs)
The Government and Community Affairs Committee updated the 2025 Legislative Priorities. In February, the SBOE approved legislative priorities regarding general funding and high-impact tutoring, as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction recommended. The committee addressed the topic to allow for further discussion.
The Planning Meeting continued with a discussion of the approval of contracts over $500,000, a Report to the NCGA on the Transportation Reserve Funds for Homeless and Foster Children, a Report to the NCGA on the Principal Recruitment Supplement Program, and a Report to the NCGA on the Improve Education Financial Information and Transparency Annual Progress.
Part of the contracts, which cost over $500,000, included money for a Coding in Minecraft Program that generated some discussion. All spending items were recommended for approval at the Thursday Regular Meeting. The presentation regarding the Principal Recruitment Supplement Program can be found here.
The Planning Meeting ended with the Executed and Planned Contracts Report, a monthly budget Report for March 2025, and ESSER III Final Closeout. The summary of the Final ESSER III can be found here.
The Board then went into a planned closed session and adjourned for the day.
3/6/2025 Regular Meeting Report
The February State Board of Education Regular Meeting followed the Planning Meeting agenda, with action items showing up for consent approval votes at the end of the morning. There were no significant points of disagreement—most of the discussion centered around high-impact tutoring and legislative priorities, which were supported.
A significant amount of voting time involved contracts over $500,000, centered around new school buses, ACT testing funding, Portrait of a Graduate program funding for Professional Development, and Prodigy Learning (Minecraft).
Competitive grants for state assessment programs generated some discussion regarding details, the number of grants, the schools involved, the process, and the overall utility. After additional presentations and explanations, it was pulled for a separate vote but still approved.
Finally, action and consent items were approved; these items have been in the pipeline for several months and are usually non-controversial.
The meeting concluded by 11:00 am.
State Board of Education meetings are scheduled for April 2nd and 3rd.
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