AN ACT to APPROPRIATE funds to increase support for teachers participating in the NORTH CAROLINA new teacher support program.

Whereas, teacher effectiveness is the most important factor in delivering positive student outcomes to address North Carolina's teacher crisis; and

Whereas, North Carolina remains in crisis as the current State of the Teaching Profession report shows that eleven and one‑half percent (11.5%) of teachers left their teaching role last school year; and

Whereas, the attrition rate for beginning teachers was higher than the overall rate, at roughly fifteen percent (15%); and

Whereas, fewer students are enrolled in the 15 educator preparation programs (EPPs) at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina; and

Whereas, nearly half of new teachers are entering the profession through alternative teacher preparation programs, such as the residency license; and

Whereas, the number of those teachers has increased by twenty‑three and three tenths of one percent (23.3%) since the 2017‑2018 school year and now makes up forty‑four percent (44%) of all new educators in the State; and

Whereas, North Carolina teacher vacancies are in excess of 6,150 statewide instructional vacancies on the first day of school, up 610 positions from the previous year; and

Whereas, certain local school administrative units are more vulnerable to teacher attrition; and

Whereas, on‑the‑job learning and comprehensive induction into the teaching profession between the first and second years of teaching is where the most gains in teacher effectiveness are realized; and

Whereas, half of North Carolina's teachers leave the profession after five years, and the personnel costs associated with teacher attrition are twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) per teacher; and

Whereas, according to the draft report on the 2022‑2023 State of the Teaching Profession, of the 2,547 teachers issued a permit to teach in 2018‑2019 year, only fifty‑five percent (55%) completed a residency license by 2020‑2021; and

Whereas, 1400 of the 2,547 resident teachers in North Carolina are no longer teaching in the public schools, representing a loss of seventeen million five hundred thousand dollars ($17,500,000); and

Whereas, the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program is a program of The University of North Carolina and administratively coordinated by East Carolina University and is a comprehensive induction program providing research‑based curriculum and multiple services to increase teacher effectiveness, enhance skills, and reduce attrition among beginning teachers; and

Whereas, teachers participating in the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program were significantly more likely than other beginning teachers working in similar schools to return (i) to North Carolina public schools overall, (ii) to the same local school administrative unit, and (iii) to the same school in the following year;

Whereas, for many teachers cost is a barrier to participation in the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year for the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program (NC NTSP) to enable additional qualifying new graduates of alternative licensure programs or educator preparation programs (EPPs) at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina who are teaching in North Carolina public schools to participate in NC NTSP without cost to local school administrative units. First priority for receipt of these funds shall be given to local school administrative units located in a county that is designated as a development tier one area in the annual ranking performed by the Department of Commerce pursuant to G.S. 143B‑437.08. In awarding these funds, the NC NTSP shall also consider the following factors related to a school where a teacher is employed: (i) number of economically disadvantaged students, (ii) school density, (iii) number of teachers, and (iv) district relationships. The following local school administrative units are eligible to receive funding under the Program: Anson County Schools, Greene County Schools, Guilford County Schools, Onslow County Schools, Public School of Robeson County, Scotland County schools, Wilkes County Schools, and Washington County Schools.

SECTION 2.  The funds appropriated in Section 1 of this act shall be used in programs designed to address the specific and various needs of alternative licensure and traditional pathway NC EPP graduates who will begin their teaching careers in North Carolina public schools through a blended model of support to include:

(1)        Participation in a beginning teacher summit hosted by NC NTSP, a professional conference event for early career educators.

(2)        An assigned instructional coach familiar with the region and local school context to guide improvements in the proficiency of teachers in planning, instruction, and assessment.

(3)        Access to and participation in ongoing, career‑embedded professional development to meet their emerging needs with consideration of their professional context.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2024.