AN ACT to appropriate funds to improve development of the teacher pipeline.

Whereas, teacher effectiveness is the most important factor in delivering positive student outcomes; and

Whereas, North Carolina is experiencing attrition of experienced, licensed teachers as well as beginning teachers, which may be exacerbated by the COVID‑19 crisis; and

Whereas, there is a particular need for diverse, high‑quality teachers, especially in low‑performing schools and rural schools; and

Whereas, the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program (NCTCP) is a successful program that encourages high‑achieving high school students to attend college and eventually teach in North Carolina public schools; and

Whereas, building early interest in the teaching profession is critical to building a robust teacher pipeline; and

Whereas, NCTCP actively engages in the following strategies:

(1)        Maintaining strong partnerships with higher education institutions, including The University of North Carolina, and collaborative relationships with local boards of education.

(2)        Offering a curriculum developed by highly qualified, licensed public school teachers, including high school honors credit, approved by the Department of Public Instruction.

(3)        Providing learning through hands‑on teaching methods and field experiences delivered by educators who are required to complete teacher cadet curriculum training; and

Whereas, the NCTCP has a well‑regarded and established record of helping rural and economically distressed counties to grow their own teachers from students who were born, raised, and received a high school education within the same county; and

Whereas, the NCTCP has quickly transitioned to an online program and is able to operate flexibly in response to changing learning conditions; and

Whereas, in the 2019‑2020 school year, only twenty‑one percent (21%) of public school teachers identified as persons of color, and the NCTCP enrolled a substantially greater portion of teacher cadets who identified as persons of color at forty‑two percent (42%); Now, therefore,

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 one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for each year of the 2021‑2023 fiscal biennium to be provided to the nonprofit organization known as the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children to be used for the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program. The funds shall be used for the following services related to expansion of the educator pipeline:

(1)        Statewide curriculum training workshops for teachers with options for in‑person and online ongoing support.

(2)        Expansion of services in counties designated as development tier one areas. For schools located in counties identified in this subdivision, the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program shall prioritize schools with the highest teacher attrition rate from the 2018‑2019 school year.

(3)        Continued development and training for persons in underrepresented teaching demographics, including cadets who are male and cadets who are persons of color. To the extent possible, the training shall draw on past and current cadets who are classroom teachers, postsecondary students pursuing a degree in education, and seniors in high school.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.