GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 960

Short Title:  North Carolina Interloc Program.	(Public)
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors: Senators Perdue; Conder and Albertson.
─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  Education/Higher Education.
─────────────────────────────────────── 

April 26, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA INTERLOC PROGRAM, A GRANT PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO ACT JOINTLY TO PROVIDE PROGRAMS OR SERVICES, AND TO PERMIT TWO OR MORE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO OPERATE SCHOOLS JOINTLY.
Whereas, there is a need to provide rural school systems with the authority and incentives to offer joint education programs so as to provide greater learning opportunities to students; and
Whereas, many rural school systems continue to lose student enrollment and that trend is projected to continue for the rest of this decade; and
Whereas, even with the additional education funding provided by the General Assembly over the past ten years, rural areas continue to lag urban regions of the State; and
Whereas, educational attainment was lower in North Carolina's rural areas, where one in six rural adults lacked a ninth grade education; and
Whereas, rural areas lagged urban areas in the percentage of adults with a high school education; and
Whereas, rural areas had only half as many college graduates as urban areas; and
Whereas, high quality school systems that produce well educated graduates add to the economic capacity of North Carolina's rural areas; Now, therefore,
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 7.  Interloc Program.
"§ 115C-238.30.  Administration of the Program; purpose.
The State Board of Education shall develop and implement the Interloc Program.  The purpose of the Program is to provide grants to local school administrative units, especially rural units, to encourage them to act jointly to provide programs and services to their students.
"§ 115C-238.31.  Applications for grants.
Two or more county school administrative units may apply to the State Board of Education for a grant of up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).  Applicants for grants shall describe the program or service they intend to provide jointly and explain how they could provide it better or more economically, jointly than separately.  The State Board of Education shall give preference to small rural counties when it selects grant recipients.
"§ 115C-238.32.  Use of grant funds.
Grant recipients shall use the funds to plan, enter into joint contracts or agreements on, and implement these joint undertakings.  The joint contracts or agreements shall be in accordance with Part 1 of Article 20 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes.
County boards of education receiving a grant under this Program and implementing a joint undertaking shall continue to receive allocations of other State funds for public schools as if they were not receiving the grant and were not implementing a joint undertaking.
"§ 115C-238.33. Duties of the Superintendent.  
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall administer the grant program, provide technical assistance to grant applicants and recipients, review grant applications, and recommend grant recipients to the State Board of Education."
Sec. 2. G.S. 115C-517 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-517.  Acquisition of sites.
Local boards of education may acquire suitable sites for schoolhouses or other school facilities either within or without the local school administrative unit; but no school shall be operated by a local school administrative unit outside its own boundaries, except a school operated jointly by two or more local school administrative units in accordance with an interlocal contract or agreement entered into pursuant to Part 1 of Article 20 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes.  Other school facilities such as repair shops, may be operated outside the boundaries of the local school administrative unit.  Whenever any board is unable to acquire or enlarge a suitable site or right-of-way for a school, school building, school bus garage or for a parking area or access road suitable for school buses or for other school facilities by gift or purchase, condemnation proceedings to acquire same may be instituted by the board under the provisions of Chapter 40A of the General Statutes, and the determination of the local board of education of the land necessary for such purposes shall be conclusive: Provided, that not more than a total of 50 acres shall be acquired by condemnation for any one site for a schoolhouse or other school facility as aforesaid."
Sec. 3.  This act becomes effective the later of July 1, 1993, and the date funds become available to implement the provisions of this act.