GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

S	1 

SENATE BILL 748*

Short Title:  Teacher Input/School Plans.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senator Cooper.
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Referred to:  Education.
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April 23, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW REQUIRING TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 115C-238.3 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-238.3.  Elements of local plans.
(a)	The board of education of a local school administrative unit that elects to participate in the Program shall submit a local school improvement plan to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction before April 15 of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which participation is sought.  The local board of education shall actively involve a substantial number of teachers, school administrators, and other school staff in developing the local school improvement plan.  It is the intent of the General Assembly that teachers have a major role in developing the local school improvement plan; therefore, at least half of the staff members involved in developing the local plan shall be teachers.  The teachers at each school shall select the teachers from that school who are involved in developing the local plan.
(b)	The local school improvement plan shall set forth (i) the student performance goals established by the local board of education for the local school administrative unit and (ii) the unit's strategies and plans for attaining them.
The performance goals for the local school administrative unit shall address specific, measurable goals for all student performance indicators adopted by the State Board.  Factors that determine gains in achievement vary from school to school; therefore, socioeconomic factors and previous student performance indicators shall be used as the basis of the local school improvement plan.
The strategies for attaining the local student performance goals shall be based on plans for each individual school in the local school administrative unit.  The principal of each school and his staff shall develop a plan to address student performance goals appropriate to the school from those established by the local board of education.
(c)	The local school administrative unit shall consider a plan for differentiated pay.  The local plan shall include a plan for differentiated pay, in accordance with G.S. 115C-238.4, unless the local school administrative unit elects not to participate in any differentiated pay plan.
(d)	The local plan may include a request for a waiver of State laws, regulations, or policies.  The request for a waiver shall identify the State laws, regulations, or policies that inhibit the local unit's ability to reach its local accountability goals and shall explain how a waiver of those laws, regulations, or policies will permit the local unit to reach its local goals.
	(e) Support among affected staff members is essential to successful implementation of a local school improvement plan; therefore, a local board of education that decides to participate in the Program shall present a proposed local school improvement plan to its teachers and administrators for their review and vote.  The vote shall be by secret ballot.  The local board of education shall submit the proposed local school improvement plan to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction only if the proposed plan has the approval of a majority of the State-funded certificated instructional and instructional support staff and a majority of the State-funded certificated administrators.
Every three years after a local school improvement plan receives such approval, the local board of education shall present a proposed plan to continue, discontinue, or modify that local school administrative unit's local school improvement plan to its staff members for their review and vote.  The vote shall be by secret ballot.  The local board of education shall continue in the Program only if the proposal has the approval of a majority of the State-funded certificated instructional and instructional support staff and a majority of the State-funded certificated administrators."
Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification and applies to all local school improvement plans developed for school years beginning with the 1992-93 school year.