Bill Summaries: H895 (2021)

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  • Summary date: May 7 2021 - View summary

    Includes whereas clauses. Enacts new GS 115C-306.1 requiring local boards of education, when awarding contracts to teachers, to provide for extended-year contracts (meaning a contract providing for a term of employment of 11 months during the school year) as follows. Requires the local board of education to award mandatory extended-year contracts to all IL teachers and all LPS teachers; specifies that IL teachers and LPS teachers are not eligible to receive 10-month contracts. Defines IL teacher as a teacher who holds a current North Carolina teaching license in any of the following classes: a three-year initial professional license, a three-year limited license, a one-year residency license, or a one-year emergency license. Defines an LPS teacher as a teacher assigned by a local board of education to teach at a school identified as low performing. Requires the local board of education to offer optional extended-year contracts as follows: (1) to mentor teachers in any year that the teacher is designated as such and (2) to veteran teachers one year out of each three-year period the teacher is employed by the local board. Allows mentor teachers and veteran teachers to accept the extended-year contract or to request and be awarded a 10-month contract. Defines veteran teacher as a teacher who holds a current five-year North Carolina continuing professional license for teaching; has at least six years of licensed teaching experience; and is not IL teacher, a mentor teacher, or an LPS teacher.

    Requires the local board of education to annually designate up to 10% of those teachers employed by the local board as mentor teachers; specifies minimum criteria to be used in making the designation. 

    Sets out additional job duties in the 11th month of employment for a teacher who is awarded and accepts an extended-year contract, with duties dependent upon the teacher's designation as an IL teacher, LPS teacher, mentor teacher, or veteran teacher.

    Makes conforming changes to the provisions governing teacher contracts under GS 115C-325.3. Makes conforming changes to GS 115C-302.1 concerning payment of teacher salaries and also removes the requirement that the State Board of Education maintain the same policies related to masters pay for teachers that were in effect for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

    Appropriates $297 million in recurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction to provide extended-year teacher contracts according to new GS 115C-306.1.

    Effective July 1, 2021, and applies beginning with the 2021-22 school year.