A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish the SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT study COMMISSION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is established the School Performance Improvement Study Commission (Commission). The Commission shall be located administratively in the Department of Public Instruction but shall exercise all its prescribed powers independently of the Department of Public Instruction. The purpose of the Commission is to study alternative models to replace the Innovative School District as a method of improving school performance in low-performing schools.
SECTION 2.  The Commission shall consist of 11 members as follows:
(1)	Three members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, at least one of whom is a member of the minority party.
(2)	Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, at least one of whom is a member of the minority party.
(3)	Five members appointed by the Governor as follows: (i) two retired school administrators; (ii) one former North Carolina, Regional, or District Teacher of the Year; (iii) one board member of a North Carolina nonprofit organization focusing on education; and (iv) one dean from the college of education of any campus within The University of North Carolina System.
The Governor shall appoint a cochair of the Commission from among its membership, and the President Pro Tempore and the Speaker of the House of the Representatives shall jointly appoint a cochair of the Commission from among its membership. The Commission and the terms of the members shall expire when the Commission submits a final report to the General Assembly. Members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer.
SECTION 3.  The Commission shall examine and shall make recommendations, giving consideration to the following:
(1)	Deploying teams of exceptional administrators and teachers from consistently high-performing schools to identified low-performing schools for the purpose of providing consultation and team‑based training. In considering the use of exceptional teachers, the Commission shall consider teachers to be exceptional only if they have (i) a minimum of five years of teaching experience, (ii) an "accomplished" rating on at least six of the eight elements of Standard 4 of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, and (iii) a "distinguished" rating on the remaining two elements of Standard 4 of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards.
(2)	The potential use of teams assigned to low‑performing schools on a full‑time basis for a full school year, after which time team members would return to their previous schools and positions.
(3)	The use of specialized professional development programs for teachers and administrators in identified low-performing schools and specific programs that could be utilized for this purpose.
(4)	The potential use of formally identified Master Teachers, pursuant to the Master Teacher Pilot Program, to provide consultation and team‑based training to identified low-performing schools.
(5)	The need for additional funding.
(6)	School calendar flexibility.
(7)	Any other issue the Commission deems relevant to this study.
SECTION 4.  The Commission shall meet upon the call of its cochairs no later than September 1, 2018. A quorum of the Committee is a majority of its members. No action may be taken except by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
SECTION 5.  To the extent that funds are available, the Commission may contract for professional, clerical, and consultant services. Professional and clerical staff positions for the Commission may be filled by persons whose services are loaned to the Commission to fulfill the work of the Commission. The Department of Public Instruction shall provide meeting space, equipment, and supplies to the Commission. Members of the Commission shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel allowance in accordance with G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate.
SECTION 6.  The Commission shall make a final report on its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before March 1, 2019, by filing a copy of the report with the Office of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, and the Legislative Library. The Commission shall terminate on March 1, 2019, or upon the filing of its final report, whichever occurs first.
SECTION 7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2018‑2019 fiscal year to implement the requirements of this act.
SECTION 8.  This act is effective when it becomes law.