GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

S	3 

SENATE BILL 732*
Education Committee Substitute Adopted 5/1/91
Third Edition Engrossed 7/2/91

Short Title:  Project Genesis Established.	(Public)
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors:
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  
─────────────────────────────────────── 

April 22, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE PROJECT GENESIS PROGRAM, AN EXPERIMENT WITH A RESTRUCTURED SCHOOL APPROACH FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Article 16 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Part to read:
“Part 5. Project Genesis Program.
"§ 115C-238.12.  Creation of program; purpose.
(a)	The State Board of Education may establish a Project Genesis Pilot Program in the Gaston, Cumberland, Johnston, and Wake County School Administrative Units.
(b)	The purpose of the pilot program shall be to enable up to two schools in each participating local school administrative unit to experiment with a restructured school approach that would combine the concepts of flexibility, competitive bidding on the management of schools, accountability, and, whenever possible, magnet schools.  Participating local school administrative units shall have four years to (i) determine the feasibility of the project, (ii) secure private funding for any additional funds required for the project, (iii) lay the groundwork for the project, and (iv) if they decide to proceed with the project, begin experimentation in not more than two schools per local school administrative unit.
"§ 115C-238.13.  Implementation by local school boards.
(a)	The local board of education in a participating local school administrative unit shall select a school building that is under construction as its first school under the project.
(b)	The local board shall issue a request for proposals for teams of educators to bid to operate the selected school.  Each team shall include one individual who shall be designated as principal or leader of the school and at least four teachers who shall comprise the core leadership team before and during the opening of the new school.  Members of the team shall not be required to meet certification requirements.
The request for proposals shall include the following minimum requirements:
(1)	A statement of principles that the local board of education wants the bidding teams to address;
(2)	A specified amount of money available for the operation of the building, which amount shall be within the limits of funds typically available for the size of school being opened for bid;
(3)	A framework for accountability plans by which the success of the project site can be measured, which accountability plans shall include the student performance indicators adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-238.1(3), and shall include factors such as student, parent, and employee satisfaction, parental involvement, community service, and evidence of a focus on developing thinking and reasoning skills;
(4)	When the magnet school concept is a part of the project, a marketing component for attracting parents to enroll their children in the building when it opens, with the goal that thirty percent (30%) to fifty percent (50%) of the students will be children whose parents selected the school because of its unique philosophy and plans; and
(5)	A process for maintaining a racially balanced student population within the Genesis School.
The requirements may include other provisions which are deemed necessary by the local school administrative unit.
(c)	The local board shall secure private funding for any additional nonstate and nonlocal funds required for the project before awarding a contract to a team to operate the selected school.
(d)	The local board of education shall appoint an advisory committee composed of educators, elected officials, and business leaders from within and without the local school administrative unit to screen proposals for the school building and to make recommendations to the local board of education on the proposals.
The local board shall consider the recommendations of the advisory committee and shall award the contract. If all or some of the team members awarded the contract are not already employees of the school system, they will immediately be employed by the local school board and become subject to local personnel policies.
(e)	The team that receives the contract shall interview and select all personnel for the building.  The team may select personnel from the current employees of the local board.  Hiring shall take place no later that July 1 prior to the opening of the new building.  The team shall begin conducting training and planning sessions as staff is hired.
(f)	The participating school building team shall initiate a comprehensive accountability program from the day school begins.  The results shall be published annually and compared to those of traditional schools.
(g)	After the third and fourth years of the project, the local board of education shall review student outcome results of the existing project site and shall decide whether an additional building within the school system shall be added to the project.  The second school chosen for the project shall be either (i) another new school building or (ii) the existing school that is producing the poorest results in student achievement or that has the worst results in student discipline, the dropout rate, and student motivation.
"§ 115C-238.14.  Grants of flexibility by the State Board.
In implementing local projects, local boards of education need broad decision-making authority so that local boards of education and participating school leadership teams can carry out the activities that meet the needs of students in that particular building.  Each participating local school administrative unit shall request from the State Board of Education, with specificity, those aspects of its project implementation that would be enhanced by flexibility with regard to statutes, policies, and regulations.  The State Board of Education may grant each local school administrative unit such flexibility with regard to State statutes, policies, and regulations as it finds necessary and appropriate to implement a local project so long as (i)	the total amount of State funds expended for the project does not exceed the amount of State funds typically available for a school with that average daily membership; (ii) no health or safety standards relating to schools or school transportation are lowered; (iii) the State Board of Education does not find as a fact that the flexibility is being abused; and (iv) the provisions of G.S. 115C-325 will not be waived in any way for any teacher working in a Genesis Project school, except those teacher members of the core leadership team who are not subject to the provisions of G.S. 115C-325 at the time the Genesis Project contract is awarded.
The State Board of Education shall report such flexibility with regard to statutes, policies, and regulations granted to projects to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on an annual basis.
"§ 115C-238.15. Reporting requirements.
Each participating local school administrative unit shall submit an annual report one year after the local school administrative unit has awarded a contract, and every year thereafter, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the State Board of Education.  The report shall include an itemization of local financial support for the project site, a description of any accountability plans implemented pursuant to G.S. 115C-238.13(b)(3), and a description of the student achievement resulting from the implementation of those accountability plans."
Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification.