A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to APPROPRIATE funds to guilford county schools to establish and operate an innovative signature career academy program in its traditional high schools.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Program Established; Purpose. – There is established the Innovative Signature Career Academy Program (Program) as a pilot program to be implemented in Guilford County Schools for the purpose of reforming its current career and technical education (CTE) program to more deliberately prepare its students for high‑wage, high‑skills careers. The Program shall focus on hosting signature career academies at traditional high schools located in the local school administrative unit that specialize in defined areas of career and technical education.
SECTION 1.(b)  Components of the Program. – The Program shall include at least the following key components in establishing a minimum of four but no more than six signature career academies at high schools in the local school administrative unit:
(1)	One school‑selected priority career pathway that does not compete with career pathways at other signature career academies in the local school administrative unit in addition to CTE courses offered as elective options and business and computer science courses.
(2)	School and community stakeholder input on the development of the priority career pathways and the phase‑out of other CTE programs.
(3)	Partnerships with higher education institutions and business and industry entities for specific equipment needs and the design of clearly defined career pathways.
(4)	The option for eighth grade students to apply to attend a signature career academy of their choice at a high school located in the local school administrative unit.
(5)	Reassignment of current CTE teachers to focus on an area of expertise for a signature career academy and the creation of partnerships with higher education faculty and employees of industry and business to volunteer to serve as co‑teachers in the specialized areas.
SECTION 1.(c)  Flexibility for Teachers. – Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in addition to the authority provided to a local board of education to employ adjunct instructors in career and technical education career clusters pursuant to G.S. 115C‑157.1, the local school administrative unit shall have the flexibility to contract with individuals who have education and training related to the specific skills and career pathways that are the focus of a signature career academy. Any individual who has direct contact with students pursuant to the authority provided by this subsection shall be subject to a criminal history check to ensure that the person has not been convicted of any crime listed in G.S. 115C‑332.
SECTION 1.(d)  Reporting. – By June 30 of the first school year of operation of the Program, and every June 30 thereafter for the duration of the Program operated as a pilot, Guilford County Schools shall report to the Department of Public Instruction on (i) implementation and administration of the Program, including the use of additional resources provided as an appropriation of State funds specifically for the Program, (ii) data from the Program on student completion rates for career pathways and any other data requested by the Department, and (iii) any recommendations on the modification of the Program or the potential application of the Program in other local school administrative units.
By August 15 of the first year of reporting by Guilford County Schools under this subsection, and every August 15 thereafter for the duration of the Program operated as a pilot, the Department of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the information submitted by Guilford County Schools pursuant to this subsection.
SECTION 1.(e)  Term of the Program. – The Program may operate for up to six school years as a pilot program, beginning with the 2020‑2021 school year. Before the end of the school year in which the Program will expire as a pilot, the Guilford County Board of Education may apply to the State Board of Education for the Program to be included as an ongoing component of Guilford County Schools' career and technical education local plan submitted to the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C‑154.1. In operating the Program in subsequent school years, Guilford County Schools shall continue to have flexibility in regard to teachers as provided in subsection (c) of this section. The Guilford County Board of Education may request as part of the application that the General Assembly appropriate additional resources for the operation of the Program but may continue to operate the Program if other sources of funds are available. The State Board shall consider the data submitted to the Department of Public Instruction on the operation of the Program pursuant to subsection (d) of this section when reviewing the Program to become a component of the career and technical education local plan.
SECTION 2.  Funds for the Program. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) for the 2020‑2021 fiscal year to be allocated to Guilford County Schools (GCS) for the purpose of establishing and operating the Innovative Signature Career Academy Program (Program) in accordance with this act. It is the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year to be allocated GCS for the purpose of operating the second year of the Program.
SECTION 3.  If House Bill 966, 2019 Regular Session, becomes law, then Section 7.44 of that act and the provision of the Committee Report described in Section 42.2 of that act appropriating funds to implement Section 7.44 of that act are repealed.
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2020.