No Budget Release Date Set NCAE Shares Budget Priorities with Conference Committee

Conference Committee members are currently in negotiations on the Conference Report, which will become the final budget bill, and the House and Senate are working to clear a number of bills that have been languishing for months. Several bills have been passed and sent to Governor Cooper for his signature, and more are coming closer to that goal. We anticipate a final budget will be completed by midSeptember. Following are budget items that have been submitted to some legislative leaders and members of the Conference Committee. They include some of the Association’s top priorities for the final budget, items we would like kept in the final budget, and bad policies that we would like to see removed from the Conference Report or final budget bill.

Top Priorities

Three of the Association’s top priorities are: •Pay ESPs $15 per hour beginning in 2021-22 •Restore master’s pay •All step increases should be no less than a minimum average of 5 percent

Other Compensation Issues Include: •Provide retirees with a COLA or a minimum raise of the 2 percent one-time supplement (bonus) •Increase in community college regular staff salaries •Maintain the increase in the psychologist salary schedule •Maintain moving counselors to the psychologist salary schedule •Hold principal’s pay harmless •Paid paternal leave for educators •Maintain the increase in the assistant principal’s salary schedule •Capital funding for K-12 schools, including annual renovation and repairs funding based on the House budget

Key Positions That NCAE Hopes Will Remain in the Final Budget

•Provide funding ($1 billion) for broadband, especially in rural areas based on the House budget •Provide personal leave with no sub fee deduction •Expanding funding for transportation for homeless and foster care students •Increase funding for Students with Disabilities

Bad Policies NCAE Hopes to See Removed from the Final Budget

The top three items are:

•Academic Transparency Provisions – Incorporates provisions from H755: Academic Transparency to require website posting of a synopsis of all instructional material used in the previous year by all teachers. •Modernize Selection of Instructional Materials – Requires local school boards to maintain a repository of adopted instructional materials and create a local media advisory committee to evaluate parent/public challenges of instructional materials. Also allows parents to opt their student out of health/safety education. •Standards of Student Conduct – Incorporates provisions from H247: Standards of Student Conduct to require consultation with local law enforcement in establishing discipline policies.

Bad policies that are still of concern include: •Uniform private school testing – By allowing private and charter schools to use different options, there is no way to directly compare results from public schools. •Making virtual charter school funding permanent – Virtual charters share many of the same shortcomings as regular charter schools, including a lack of transparency, limited educational and operational oversight, and the continued misdirection of public funds. •Private school vouchers – NCAE opposes the allocation of public money that could be used for the many needs of our public school system instead of giving it to private schools that are allowed to discriminate in their admissions process. •Fast tracking charter schools – Charter schools require more oversight and regulation, not less. •Special education hearing officers are being eliminated in the hearings process for parents, when there are disputes involving students with special needs.