GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1993 SESSION

CHAPTER 393
HOUSE BILL 292

AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE REGARDING THE CONTINUUM OF EDUCATION IN NORTH CAROLINA.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

––-CONTINUUM OF EDUCATION PROG.
Section 1.  (a)	A new Chapter is added to the General Statutes to read:
"Chapter 116C.
"Continuum of Education Programs.
"§ 116C-1.  Education Cabinet created.
(a)	The Education Cabinet is created.  The Education Cabinet shall be located administratively within, and shall exercise its powers within existing resources of, the Office of the Governor.  However, the Education Cabinet shall exercise its statutory powers independently of the Office of the Governor.
(b)	The Education Cabinet shall consist of the Governor, who shall serve as chair, the President of The University of North Carolina, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the President of the North Carolina Community College System.  The Education Cabinet shall invite representatives of private education to participate in its deliberations as adjunct members.
(c)	The Education Cabinet shall be a nonvoting body that:
(1)	Works to resolve issues between existing providers of education.
(2)	Sets the agenda for the State Education Commission.
(3)	Develops a strategic design for a continuum of education programs, in accordance with G.S. 116C-3.
(4)	Studies other issues referred to it by the Governor or the General Assembly.
(d)	The Office of the Governor, in coordination with the staffs of The University of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, and the Department of Public Instruction, shall provide staff to the Education Cabinet.
"§ 116C-2.  State Education Commission.
The State Education Commission shall consist of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, the State Community College Board, and the State Board of Education.  The Governor shall call the meetings of the State Education Commission.
The Commission shall be a forum for airing proposals and engaging in board-to-board dialogue about issues the Education Cabinet is addressing.  The agenda for Commission meetings shall be set by the Education Cabinet.
"§ 116C-3.  Strategic design for a continuum of education programs.
The Education Cabinet shall develop a strategic design for a continuum of education programs.  A continuum of education programs is the complement of programs delivered by the State to learners at all levels.
The new design shall take into account issues raised by the Government Performance Audit Committee of the Legislative Research Commission.
The design process shall:
(1)	Include vigorous examination of all programs as if they were being created for the first time.
(2)	Compare the existing structures, funding levels, and responsibilities of each system to the new design.
The Education Cabinet shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the strategic design it develops prior to January 1, 1995."
Sec. 2.  The Education Cabinet created under Section 1 of this act shall exercise its powers within the available resources of the Office of the Governor.  The Education Commission created under Section 1 of this act shall exercise its powers within the shared available resources of the State Board of Education, the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, and the State Community College Board.
Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 19th day of July, 1993.

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Dennis A. Wicker
President of the Senate

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Daniel Blue, Jr.
Speaker of the House of Representatives