GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1212

Short Title:  Technology & Training Funds.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representative Reynolds.

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Referred to:  Technology, if favorable, Appropriations.

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May 5, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM FOR CERTIFIED NETWORK ADMINISTRATION (CNA) TRAINING IN NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DEVELOP A PROPOSAL FOR THE INTERACTIVE VISUAL TECHNOLOGIES CENTER.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  (a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Board of Education the sum of two million ninety thousand dollars ($2,090,000) for the 1997-98 fiscal year and the sum of eight hundred forty thousand dollars ($840,000) for the 1998-99 fiscal year to establish pilot programs for Certified Network Administration (CNA) training in the North Carolina public schools business programs as part of Tech Prep and School-to-Work.
(b)	The State Board of Education shall select 12 local school administrative units to participate in the pilot program.  In selecting the pilot units, the State Board shall consider (i) indicators of the readiness of a unit to participate in the program, (ii) the degree of community support for such a program, and (iii) indicators of the need for the program in the community, such as lack of comparable training or resources in the community.
The program shall be implemented in one to three high schools in each participating unit. Two teachers shall participate at each high school in which the program is implemented.  Classes shall be limited to 15 students each.
(c)	Each pilot program shall meet the following criteria:
(1)	The program shall be available to high school juniors and seniors and shall be four semesters in length, including a work-based learning component;
(2)	The program shall be taught by a certified North Carolina business education teacher who has a CNA credential or by an industry-certified instructor;
(3)	Courses shall be taught in a CNA-certified classroom/laboratory environment;
(4)	The program shall be designed to extend into the community college system to provide engineer and instructor certification;
(5)	Students successfully completing the program shall be provided an opportunity to take the CNA certification examination; and
(6)	The program shall be monitored and managed by the State Board of Education, in consultation with private industry business partners.
(d)	The State Board of Education may contract with outside consultants or with private nonprofit corporations to assist it in implementing and evaluating the pilot programs. 
(e)	The State Board of Education shall evaluate the educational components of the programs.
The State Board of Education shall report the results of these evaluations to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by September 15, 1999.
Section 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for the 1997-98 fiscal year for the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology to update and revise the study conducted by the Board in 1994 on the Interactive Visual Technologies Center and to develop a proposal for establishing the Center.  The Department shall report its findings and recommendations by April 1, 1998, to the Legislative Study Commission on Information Technology if House Bill 1047 of the 1997 General Assembly becomes law.  If House Bill 1047 of the 1997 General Assembly does not become law, the Department shall report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees by April 1, 1998.
Section 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1997.