GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
H	1
HOUSE BILL 619
     

 
Short Title:	Teacher Assistant Salary Schedule.	()	
Sponsors:	Representatives Warner, Buchanan, Bonner (Primary Sponsors);  Allen, Allred, Barefoot, Bell, Capps, Cole, Cunningham, Davis, Dedmon, Fox, Gibson, Hurley, Insko, Jeffus, Lucas, McAllister, Morris, Sexton, Sherrill, Smith, Sutton, Wainwright, and Womble.	
Referred to:	Appropriations.	
March 15, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A SALARY SCHEDULE FOR TEACHER aSSISTANTS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12(16) reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑12. Powers and duties of the Board generally.
The general supervision and administration of the free public school system shall be vested in the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall establish policy for the system of free public schools, subject to laws enacted by the General Assembly. The powers and duties of the State Board of Education are defined as follows:
…
(16)	Power with Regard to Salary Schedules. – The Board shall provide for sick leave with pay for all public school employees in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and shall promulgate rules and regulations providing for necessary substitutes on account of sick leave and other teacher absences.
a.	Support personnel refers to all public school employees who are not required by statute or regulation to be certified in order to be employed. The State Board of Education is authorized and empowered to adopt all necessary rules for full implementation of all schedules to the extent that State funds are made available for support personnel.
b.	Salary schedules for the following public school support personnel shall be adopted by the State Board of Education: school finance officer, office support personnel, maintenance supervisors, custodial personnel, and transportation personnel. The Board shall classify these support positions in terms of uniform pay grades included in the salary schedule of the State Personnel Commission.
		 Local boards of education shall place State‑allotted office support personnel, and custodial personnel on the salary schedule adopted by the State Board of Education so that the average salary paid is the State‑allotted amount for the category. In placing employees on the salary schedule, the local board shall consider the education, training, and experience of each employee, including experience in other local school administrative units. It is the intent of the General Assembly that a local school administrative unit not fail to employ an employee who was employed for the prior school year in order to implement the provisions of this sub‑subdivision. A local board of education is in compliance with this sub‑subdivision if the average salary paid is at least ninety‑eight percent (98%) of the State‑allotted amount for the category at the end of the third payroll period of each subsequent fiscal year. The Department of Public Instruction shall provide technical assistance to local school administrative units regarding the implementation of this sub‑subdivision.
c.	Salary schedules for other support personnel, excluding teacher assistants and including but not limited to maintenance and school food service personnel, shall be adopted by the State Board of Education. The Board shall classify these support positions in terms of uniform pay grades included in the salary schedule of the State Personnel Commission. These schedules shall apply if the local board of education does not adopt a salary schedule of its own for personnel paid from other than State appropriations.
d.	The State Board of Education shall adopt guidelines for the implementation of the teacher assistant salary schedule enacted by the General Assembly.
…."
SECTION 2.(a)  The following teacher assistant salary schedule shall be fully implemented by June 30, 2004:

		18 Credits	48 Credits	
Experience	0 Credit 	Certificate	Diploma	 AA Degree	BA Degree

	0	$14,000	$14,210	$14,423	$14,639	$14,859
	1	$14,210	$14,423	$14,639	$14,859	$15,082
	2	$14,423	$14,639	$14,859	$15,082	$15,308
	3	$14,639	$14,859	$15,082	$15,308	$15,538
	4	$14,859	$15,082	$15,308	$15,538	$15,771
	5	$15,082	$15,308	$15,538	$15,771	$16,007
	6	$15,308	$15,538	$15,771	$16,007	$16,248
	7	$15,538	$15,771	$16,007	$16,248	$16,491
	8	$15,771	$16,007	$16,248	$16,491	$16,739
	9	$16,007	$16,248	$16,491	$16,739	$16,990
	10	$16,248	$16,491	$16,739	$16,990	$17,245
	11	$16,491	$16,739	$16,990	$17,245	$17,503
	12	$16,739	$16,990	$17,245	$17,503	$17,766
	13	$16,990	$17,245	$17,503	$17,766	$18,032
	14	$17,245	$17,503	$17,766	$18,032	$18,303
	15	$17,503	$17,766	$18,032	$18,303	$18,577
	16	$17,766	$18,032	$18,303	$18,577	$18,856
	17	$18,032	$18,303	$18,577	$18,856	$19,139
	18	$18,303	$18,577	$18,856	$19,139	$19,426
	19	$18,577	$18,856	$19,139	$19,426	$19,717
	20	$18,856	$19,139	$19,426	$19,717	$20,013
	21	$19,139	$19,426	$19,717	$20,013	$20,313
	22	$19,426	$19,717	$20,013	$20,313	$20,618
	23	$19,717	$20,013	$20,313	$20,618	$20,927
	24	$20,013	$20,313	$20,618	$20,927	$21,241
	25	$20,313	$20,618	$20,927	$21,241	$21,560

SECTION 2.(b)  Placement on the Salary Schedule. ‑‑ A teacher assistant shall be placed on the salary schedule in accordance with the teacher assistant's education level and years of experience as of July 1 prior to the beginning of the school year.
The North Carolina Community Colleges System shall evaluate the coursework of a teacher assistant and issue a certificate, diploma, or associate degree if the teacher assistant has met the course requirements for a teacher assistant program developed by the Community Colleges System.  Local boards of education shall provide all teacher assistants with verification of years of experience as a teacher assistant.
The State Board of Education shall adopt policies defining years of experience for teacher assistants and shall also adopt forms for documentation of education levels and years of experience.  It is the responsibility of each teacher assistant to provide the documentation to the Department of Public Instruction on forms adopted by the State Board and in accordance with Department policies.
SECTION 2.(c)  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no teacher assistant shall be paid less under this section than that teacher assistant was paid during the prior school year.
SECTION 2.(d)  Teacher assistants who drive school buses or are assigned to tasks that require fewer skills than their professional level shall be paid on the teacher assistant salary schedule; however, if a teacher assistant who drives a school bus is employed for more than 40 hours a week, that teacher assistant shall receive time and one‑half for the additional hours of employment based on the salary of a school bus driver.
SECTION 2.(e)  The teacher assistant salary schedule shall be phased in over three fiscal years.  Funds appropriated for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year to provide a salary increase for teacher assistants shall be used to begin implementation of the salary schedule. By January 31, 2002:
(1)	Teacher assistants with at least five but less than 10 years of experience shall be paid, at a minimum, the amount on the salary schedule for a teacher assistant with five years of experience.
(2)	Teacher assistants with at least 10 but less than 15 years of experience shall be paid, at a minimum, the amount on the salary schedule for a teacher assistant with 10 years of experience.
(3)	Teacher assistants with at least 15 but less than 20 years of experience shall be paid, at a minimum, the amount on the salary schedule for a teacher assistant with 15 years of experience.
(4)	Teacher assistants with at least 20 years of experience shall be paid, at a minimum, the amount on the salary schedule for a teacher assistant with 20 years of experience.
SECTION 2.(f)  Funds appropriated for the 2002‑2003 fiscal year to provide a salary increase for teacher assistants shall be used to place all teacher assistants on the salary schedule in accordance with their years of experience.
Funds appropriated for the 2003‑2004 fiscal year to provide a salary increase for teacher assistants shall be used to place all teacher assistants on the salary schedule in accordance with their years of experience and their education level.
SECTION 2.(g)  Nothing in this act shall be construed to modify the provisions of G.S. 115C‑105.25(b)(1).  If a school transfers funds allocated for a teacher assistant position pursuant to G.S. 115C‑105.25(b)(1) or any other law in order to reduce class size, the amount transferred shall equal the average teacher assistant salary.
SECTION 2.(h)  Effective July 1, 2002, State funds for teacher assistants shall be allocated as a position allotment.
Effective July 1, 2003, State funds for teacher assistants shall be allocated as a position allotment based on years of experience and education.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2001.