A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to expand the teacher assistant tuition reimbursement pilot program.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Section 8.29 of S.L. 2016‑94 reads as rewritten:
"TEACHER ASSISTANT TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PILOT PROGRAM
"SECTION 8.29.(a)  Purpose. – The purpose of this section is to establish a pilot program for, beginning with the 2016‑2017 fiscal year, the local boards of education of the Anson County, Franklin County, Moore County, Richmond County, and Scotland County school administrative units and, beginning with the 2017‑2018 fiscal year, the local boards of education of the Bertie County Schools, Duplin County Schools, Edenton‑Chowan Schools, Edgecombe County Schools, Halifax County Schools, Nash‑Rocky Mount Schools, Northampton County Schools, Tyrrell County Schools, Vance County Schools, and Washington County Schools, to provide tuition assistance awards to part‑time or full‑time teacher assistants working in those local school administrative units to pursue a college degree that will result in teacher licensure. Tuition assistance awards under the program may be provided for part‑time or full‑time coursework. A local board of education may grant a teacher assistant academic leave to pursue coursework that may only be taken during working hours. A teacher assistant receiving an award under the program shall fulfill the student teaching requirements of an educator preparation program by working in the teacher assistant's employing local school administrative unit. A teacher assistant may continue to receive salary and benefits while student teaching in the local school administrative unit in accordance with G.S. 115C‑310.
…
"SECTION 8.29.(d)  The local boards of education participating in the pilot program for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year shall jointly report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by September 1, 2017. All of the local boards of education participating in the pilot program shall jointly report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by September 1, 2018, and by September 1 of each year thereafter on the results of the pilot program, including at least the following information:
(1)	The number and amount of funds in tuition assistance awards provided to teacher assistants.
(2)	The number of teacher assistant recipients who achieved teacher licensure, including the period of time from the issue of an initial tuition assistance award to the time of achieving licensure.
(3)	The number of recipients who remained employed in the local school administrative unit after achieving teacher licensure."
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of two hundred twenty‑five thousand dollars ($225,000) in recurring funds for the 2017‑2018 fiscal year for the purpose of expanding the number of local school administrative units participating in the teacher assistant tuition reimbursement pilot program as provided by this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.