A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide for a Dropout prevention and recovery pilot program with A charter school.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  S.L. 2011‑259 is repealed.
SECTION 2.  The State Board of Education shall establish a two‑year Dropout Prevention and Recovery Pilot Program (Pilot Program). The State Board of Education shall select one charter school that has been approved by the State Board under G.S. 115C‑238.29D to provide the educational services and programming for the Pilot Program. The purpose of the Pilot Program is to reengage students and increase the graduation rates in North Carolina through an educational program that provides flexible scheduling and a blended learning environment with individualized and self‑paced learning options.
SECTION 3.  To be eligible to participate in the Pilot Program, the charter school's enrollment shall only include high school students who have (i) dropped out of high school or (ii) transferred from their high school to the charter school. For the purposes of this act, high school shall include ninth through twelfth grades. Transfer decisions shall be made by the student who is 18 years of age or older or the student's parents or guardians. The charter school, its affiliated charter management organization, or its education management organization must be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as an indicator of quality instructional programming. All teachers employed by the charter school participating in the Pilot Program shall be licensed teachers under G.S. 115C‑296.
SECTION 4.  The charter school participating in the Pilot Program shall develop and implement an alternative accountability model that meets the guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education for alternative learning programs under G.S. 115C‑12(24).
SECTION 5.  In addition to the allotments and adjustments made for charter schools as provided in G.S. 115C‑238.29H, for the charter school participating in the Pilot Program, the allotment shall also be adjusted on the basis of the average daily membership in the fifth month of the school year. If the average daily membership in the fifth month of the school year exceeds the first month average daily membership by at least twenty percent (20%), the State Board of Education shall provide additional funding in March from the ADM Contingency Reserve on the basis of the average daily membership in the fifth month of the school year for the remainder of the fiscal year. Additionally, the Pilot Program charter school shall receive a one‑time payment equal to the difference between the average of the average daily membership over the first five months of the school year and the first month average daily membership, multiplied by the average per pupil allocation for average daily membership from the local school administrative unit allotments in which the Pilot Program charter school is located, multiplied by fifty‑six percent (56%).
SECTION 6.  Existing charter schools meeting the criteria as provided in this act may apply to participate in the Pilot Program no later than August 31, 2014. The State Board of Education shall select by September 30, 2014, the participant for the Pilot Program for the 2014‑2015 and 2015‑2016 school years.
SECTION 7.  The State Board of Education shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 15, 2016, on the outcomes of the Dropout Prevention and Recovery Pilot Program, including (i) the number of students who dropped out of high school, enrolled in the program, and completed a high school diploma, (ii) the results of the alternative accountability model, and (iii) the impact on the ADM Contingency Reserve. The report shall also include any recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and the efficiency of the Pilot Program funding and accountability models.
SECTION 8.  The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall report to the 2016 Regular Session of the 2015 General Assembly on necessary legislation to transition the Pilot Program into alternative charter schools serving high school students who have dropped out of high school.
SECTION 9.  This act is effective when it becomes law. The Pilot Program shall begin with the 2014‑2015 school year and shall conclude at the end of the 2015‑2016 school year.