A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to amend the law regarding change orders on school construction projects.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑521 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(h)	All change orders involving school construction contracts shall be approved by the local board of education, except as provided in subdivision (1) and (2) of this subsection. If a change order that is required to be approved by the local board of education must be approved before the next regularly scheduled board meeting due to (i) a health or safety issue; (ii) a delay of the construction project; or (iii) the risk of increased cost, the chair of the local board of education or the chair's designee from among the other board members may approve the order at the request of the superintendent. The superintendent shall report the change order to the local board of education at its next regularly scheduled meeting. If the chair of the local board of education or the chair's designee does not approve the change order, a special board meeting shall be called. The following change orders shall not be subject to approval by the local board of education:
(1)	In a local school administrative unit that has had an average of at least fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) of school construction projects over the prior five years, the superintendent or superintendent's designee may approve a change order in an amount of up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).
(2)	In a local school administrative unit that has had an average of less than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) of school construction projects over the prior five years, the superintendent or superintendent's designee may approve a change order in an amount of up to twenty‑five thousand dollars ($25,000)."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2015.