AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE ARTS EDUCATION COMMISSION.

Whereas, arts education teaches 21st Century skills necessary for a prepared and competitive workforce; and
Whereas, the General Assembly has established the Joint Select Study Commission on Arts Education for Grades K‑12 in the Public Schools of North Carolina, which recommended legislation for a high school graduation requirement in the arts; and
Whereas, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 66, "An Act to Create a Comprehensive Arts Education Plan"; and
Whereas, the Comprehensive Arts Education Task Force recommendations include a high school graduation requirement in the arts, implementation of the arts components of the Basic Education Plan, and expansion of the A+ Schools program in North Carolina; and
Whereas, these previous committee reports submitted over time increasingly indicate a developing consensus as to the need for statewide policies in arts education; and
Whereas, despite the developing consensus reflected in the previous committees, no change to the State's education policies related to arts education has yet occurred; Now,  therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Establishment. – The Arts Education Commission is established in the General Assembly.
SECTION 2.  Membership. – The Commission shall be composed of nine members, as follows:
(1)	Three members appointed by the Governor.
(2)	Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to include one Representative and two citizens at large.
(3)	Three members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to include one Senator and two citizens at large.
The Commission shall have two cochairs, one designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from among their appointees. The Commission shall meet upon the call of the cochairs. Vacancies shall be filled by the appointing authority. Public members shall be residents of the State. A quorum of the Commission shall be a majority of the nine members.
SECTION 3.  Duties. – The Commission shall do the following:
(1)	Review, prioritize, and recommend implementation strategies for the recommendations of the Comprehensive Arts Education Plan for K‑12.
(2)	Recommend the content and process to establish an arts education "report card" which shall be presented yearly by the Department of Public Instruction to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee.
(3)	Recommend ways to assess and promote opportunities for students to learn the skills of creativity and innovation in public schools.
(4)	Work with the Department of Public Instruction in the creation of arts education assessment models based on the existing NAEP Arts Assessments and Field Tests that are complete in both music and visual art and currently under development in theatre arts and dance to measure student achievement in arts education. With the approval of the State Board of Education, this analysis and assessment of student performance will be included in the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System for Arts Education Teachers, as well as serve as a model for evaluating the effective practice of arts integration by classroom teachers in other content areas.
(5)	Recommend the establishment of arts education accountability incentives for schools under the accountability component of the Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE) for the following:
a.	Providing arts education taught by certified arts educators and implementing arts integration strategies taught by classroom teachers from other content areas.
b.	Completing concentrations, with appropriate scope and sequence of curriculum, in an arts education discipline.
(6)	Study and recommend a permanent financing strategy to provide for comprehensive arts education in grades K‑12.
SECTION 4.  Compensation; Administration. – Members of the Commission shall  receive subsistence and travel allowances at the rates set forth in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate. With the prior approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional and clerical staff to assist in the work of the Commission.  With the prior approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Commission may hold its meetings in the State Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. The Commission may also meet at various locations around the State in order to promote greater public participation in its deliberations. The Commission, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all the powers provided under the provisions of G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4, including the power to request that all officers, agents, agencies, and departments of the State provide any information, data, or documents within their possession, ascertainable from their records, or otherwise available to them. The Commission may meet during a regular or extra session of the General Assembly.
SECTION 5.  Report. – The Commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the 2012 Regular Session of the 2011 General Assembly no later than May 1, 2012. The Commission shall terminate upon the filing of its final report.
SECTION 6.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 16th day of June, 2011.

	_____________________________________
		 Walter H. Dalton
	 President of the Senate

	_____________________________________
		 Thom Tillis
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	_____________________________________
		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2011