North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S689 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 689
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS45352-NH-77B
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: 2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Overcash, Corbin, and Alexander (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S689 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS45352 -NH-77B
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO REQUIRE CHARTER SCHOOLS REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL OF ALL 2
14	15		STATE RULES RELATED TO CHARTER SCHOOLS , TO AUTHORIZE THE REVIEW 3
15	16		BOARD TO HIRE LEGAL COUNCIL, TO EXEMPT CHARTER SCHOOLS FROM 4
16	17		REPORTING CLASS RANK ON STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS, TO ALLOW CHARTER 5
17	18		SCHOOLS TO USE ALTERNATE TEACHER EVALUATIONS, TO REQUIRE 6
18	19		LOW-PERFORMING CHARTERS TO REPORT IMPROVEMENT PLANS TO THE 7
19	20		REVIEW BOARD ONLY, TO ALLOW THE CHARTER SCHOOLS REVIEW BOARD 8
20	21		TO REVIEW DECISIONS RELATED TO CHARTER SCHOOL FEDERAL FUNDING , 9
21	22		TO CREATE AN EXPEDITED APPLICATION PROCESS FOR CERTAIN REMOTE 10
22	23		CHARTER ACADEMIES, AND TO HAVE REMOTE CHARTER ACADEMIES 11
23	24		GRADED SEPARATELY . 12
24	25		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 13
25	26		SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-218 reads as rewritten: 14
26	27		"§ 115C-218. Purpose of charter schools; role of State Board of Education; establishment 15
27	28		of North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board and North Carolina Office of 16
28	29		Charter Schools. 17
29	30		… 18
30	31		(a1) State Board of Education. – The State Board of Education shall have the following 19
31	32		duties regarding charter schools: 20
32	33		(1) Rulemaking. – To establish all rules for the operation and approval of charter 21
33	34		schools. Any rule or policy adopted by the State Board regarding charter 22
34	35		schools shall first be approved and recommended by the Charter Schools 23
35	36		Review Board. 24
36	37		(2) Funding. – To allocate funds to charter schools. 25
37	38		(3) Appeals. – To hear appeals from decisions of the Charter Schools Review 26
38	39		Board under G.S. 115C-218.9. 27
39	40		(4) Accountability. – To ensure accountability from charter schools for school 28
40	41		finances and student performance. 29
41	42		(b) North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board. – 30
42	43		… 31
43	44		(10) Powers and duties. – The Review Board shall have the following duties: 32
44	45		a. To make recommendations to the State Board of Education on the 33
45	46		adoption of propose, recommend, and approve rules and policies 34
46	47		regarding all aspects of charter school operation, including time lines, 35
47		-	processes, standards, and criteria for acceptance and approval of 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 689-First Edition
	48	+	processes, standards, and criteria for acceptance and approval of 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Mar 25, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 689
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS45352-NH-77B
49	54		applications, monitoring of charter schools, and grounds for 1
50	55		revocation of charters. 2
51	56		… 3
52	57		e. To review any decisions or conduct any hearings pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 4
53	58		§ 1231b-2 concerning the provision, repayment, or termination of 5
54	59		funds provided to a charter school. 6
55	60		f. To contract for and employ legal counsel, including private counsel, 7
56	61		to advise, represent, and provide litigation services to the Review 8
57	62		Board, without need to obtain permission or approval pursuant to 9
58	63		G.S. 114-2.3 or G.S. 147-17. 10
59	64		… 11
60	65		(c) North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. – 12
61	66		… 13
62	67		(2) Executive Director. – The Executive Director shall report to and serve at the 14
63	68		pleasure of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Review Board at a salary 15
64	69		established by the Superintendent Review Board within the funds 16
65	70		appropriated for this purpose. The duties of the Executive Director shall 17
66	71		include presenting the recommendations and decisions of the Review Board 18
67	72		at meetings of the State Board. 19
68	73		…." 20
69	74		SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-218.15(c) reads as rewritten: 21
70	75		"(c) A charter school shall operate under the written charter signed by the State 22
71	76		Superintendent and the applicant. The terms of the written charter shall be approved by the 23
72	77		Review Board. A charter school is not required to enter into any other contract. The charter shall 24
73	78		incorporate the information provided in the application, as modified during the charter approval 25
74	79		process, and any terms and conditions imposed on the charter school by the Review Board, or if 26
75	80		the approval is granted through an appeal pursuant to G.S. 115C-218.9, any conditions imposed 27
76	81		by the State Board of Education. No other terms may be imposed on the charter school as a 28
77	82		condition for receipt of local funds." 29
78	83		SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 115C-218.85 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 30
79	84		"(d) Notwithstanding G.S. 116-11(10a) or any other provision of law to the contrary, a 31
80	85		charter school shall not be required to list class rank on a student's official transcript or record." 32
81	86		SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 115C-218.90(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to 33
82	87		read: 34
83	88		"(7) A charter school may develop and use any evaluation for conducting 35
84	89		evaluation of teachers provided that it includes standards and criteria similar 36
85	90		to those used in the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards and 37
86	91		North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process, or such other evaluation standard 38
87	92		and process required to be used by local school administrative units." 39
88	93		SECTION 1.(e) G.S. 115C-218.94 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 40
89	94		"(c) The Review Board shall require charter schools that are identified as low-performing 41
90	95		or continually low-performing to prepare and report on plans to improve the performance of the 42
91	96		school. The requirements of G.S. 115C-105.27 shall not apply to charter schools." 43
92	97		SECTION 1.(f) G.S. 115C-218.105 reads as rewritten: 44
93	98		"§ 115C-218.105. State and local funds for a charter school. 45
94	99		… 46
95	100		(a2) The State Board shall may withhold or reduce distribution of funds to a charter school 47
96	101		if any of the following applies: 48
97	102		(1) The change in funding is due to an annual adjustment based on enrollment or 49
98	103		is a general adjustment to allocations that is not specific to the charter or 50
99	104		actions of that charter school. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
100		-	~~Senate Bill 689-First Edition~~ Page 3
	105	+	DRS45352-NH-77B Page 3
101	106		(2) The Review Board notifies the State Board that the charter school has 1
102	107		materially violated a term of its charter, has violated a State statute or federal 2
103	108		law, or has had its charter terminated or nonrenewed. 3
104	109		(3) The Superintendent of Public Instruction Review Board notifies the State 4
105	110		Board that the charter school has failed to meet generally accepted standards 5
106	111		of fiscal management or has violated a State or federal requirement for receipt 6
107	112		of funds. 7
108	113		… 8
109	114		(c2) The Superintendent of Public Instruction Review Board shall, in consultation with 9
110	115		charter schools and local school administrative units, create a standardized enrollment 10
111	116		verification and transfer request document that each charter school shall use to request the per 11
112	117		pupil share of the local current expense fund from the local school administrative units. Charter 12
113	118		schools shall only be required to list the name, age, grade, address, date of charter enrollment, 13
114	119		date of charter withdrawal, district of residence, and student identification number of each student 14
115	120		as provided to the charter school by the student's parent or guardian in the enrollment verification 15
116	121		and transfer request document that the charter school submits to the local school administrative 16
117	122		units. A charter school, in its discretion, may take further steps to confirm the student's residence 17
118	123		in a particular local school administrative unit. 18
119	124		(c3) The Superintendent of Public Instruction Review Board shall, in consultation with 19
120	125		charter schools and local school administrative units, create a standardized procedure that local 20
121	126		school administrative units shall use when transferring the per pupil share of the local current 21
122	127		expense fund to charter schools. The standardized procedure for transfer of the per pupil share of 22
123	128		the local current expense fund shall require, to the extent practicable, that the local school 23
124	129		administrative units make the transfers by electronic transfer. 24
125	130		…." 25
126	131		SECTION 1.(g) G.S. 115C-218.123 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 26
127	132		"(c) If a school is operating under a charter that allows for a remote academy as part of the 27
128	133		charter, and the school enrolls or intends to enroll 250 or more students in the remote academy, 28
129	134		the school may request that the Review Board grant the remote academy portion of the school a 29
130	135		separate charter by submitting the information listed under subsection (a) of this section with the 30
131	136		request. Requests submitted pursuant to this section shall be reviewed through an expedited 31
132	137		process to be established by the Review Board. The Review Board shall not require a planning 32
133	138		year for remote academies granted a charter pursuant to this section." 33
134	139		SECTION 1.(h) G.S. 115C-218.125 reads as rewritten: 34
135	140		"§ 115C-218.125. Evaluation. 35
136	141		(a) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the success of remote charter academies 36
137	142		approved under this Part. Success shall be measured by school performance scores and grades, 37
138	143		retention rates, attendance rates, and, for grades nine through 12, high school completion and 38
139	144		dropout rates. The Board shall report by November 15 of each year to the Joint Legislative 39
140	145		Education Oversight Committee on the evaluation of these academies and on any recommended 40
141	146		statutory changes. 41
142	147		(b) If a school is operating under a charter that includes in-person instruction and a remote 42
143	148		charter academy, the remote charter academy shall receive a separate school performance grade 43
144	149		and be treated as a separate school for the purposes of assessing the performance of the remote 44
145	150		charter academy pursuant to G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-83.15, 115C-218.94, and 115C-218.95." 45
146	151		SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 46
147	152		the 2025-2026 school year. 47