AN ACT TO appropriate funds for local school administrative units in order to provide THAT EVERY KINDERGARTEN through second GRADE CLASSROOM has A FULL‑TIME TEACHER ASSISTANT AND every three THIRD GRADE CLASSROOMs has A full‑time TEACHER ASSISTANT.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of two hundred seventy‑one million dollars ($271,000,000) for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year in recurring additional funds to be allocated to local school administrative units to provide the dollar equivalent of teacher assistant positions based on the following ratios:

(1)        One teacher assistant for every class in kindergarten, first, and second grade.

(2)        One teacher assistant for every three classes in third grade.

SECTION 2.  Funds allocated pursuant to this act shall be distributed based on an estimated statewide average salary and benefits per position and an average class size of 21 students in membership per classroom.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.