GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1428*

Short Title:  LEP Students/Appropriations.	(Public)

─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors: Representatives Arnold; Hackney, Insko, Jeffus, Luebke, Preston, Sexton, Tolson, Warwick, and Watson.

─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  Appropriations.

─────────────────────────────────────── 

May 25, 1998

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR PROGRAMS TO SERVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Board of Education the sum of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for the 1998-99 fiscal year to provide funds to assist students with limited proficiency in the English language.  The State Board shall allocate funds to local school administrative units to assist students with limited English proficiency (LEP).  The State Board also may allocate funds to institutions of higher education to provide training to instructional personnel who serve LEP students.  The State Board shall determine the allocation of the funds and shall develop standards for identifying and providing services to LEP students.  Local school administrative units shall use funds appropriated under this act to pay for classroom teachers, textbooks, classroom materials/instructional supplies/equipment, and staff development.  A county in which a local school administrative unit receives funds under this section shall use the funds to supplement local current expense funds and shall not supplant local current expense funds.
Section 2.  G.S. 115C-105.25(b)(4) reads as rewritten:
"(4)	Funds allocated for children with special needs, for students with limited English proficiency, and for driver's education shall not be transferred."
Section 3.  The State Board of Education shall review its certification requirements for English as a Second Language (ESL) and determine whether the requirements should be revised in order to assist local school administrative units to quickly obtain adequate numbers of qualified teachers.  The State Board and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina shall coordinate efforts to provide ESL certification programs that are geographically disbursed throughout the State.  The Board of Governors shall examine providing ESL certification programs through distance learning methods and off-campus programs.
Section 4.  The State Board of Education shall identify existing or develop new programs that provide instructional personnel with in-service, noncertificate training for assisting LEP students in the regular classroom.  The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges shall collaborate with the State Board in order to deliver these programs to geographically diverse locations.
Section 5.  The State Board of Education shall survey local school administrative units to determine whether schools are able to recruit and retain ESL certified teachers.  The State Board shall provide the results of this survey to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to December 15, 1999.
Section 6.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1998.