A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide for procedures to decrease the burden on military spouses in obtaining nc teacher licenses.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 93B‑15.1(i) reads as rewritten:
"(i)	For the purposes of this section, the State Board of Education shall be considered an occupational licensing board when issuing teacher licenses under G.S. 115C‑296, and in addition to the requirements of this section, shall comply with the following:
(1)	Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 115C‑296(a) and subdivision (b)(1) of this section, a military spouse applicant shall be exempt from testing requirements established by the State Board of Education for an initial bachelor's degree license or graduate degree license if the applicant meets the following criteria:
a.	The applicant meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section but for the testing requirements of G.S. 115‑296(a).
b.	The applicant's spouse is the subject of a military transfer to North Carolina.
c.	The applicant has at least three years of teaching experience in the five years prior to submitting the application.
d.	The applicant has received satisfactory performance evaluations and met expectations of student growth in the field of licensure in the three most recent years of teaching.
(2)	Notwithstanding G.S. 115C‑296(a), a military spouse applicant shall be eligible for a temporary license of two years while the applicant satisfies the requirements for a North Carolina teacher license if the applicant meets the following criteria:
a.	The applicant meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section but for the testing requirements of G.S. 115C‑296(a).
b.	The applicant's spouse is the subject of a military transfer to North Carolina.
c.	The applicant does not have the necessary teaching experience to qualify for the testing exemption in subdivision (1) of this subsection."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑296 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(a4)	The State Board shall license military spouses in accordance with G.S. 93B‑15.1."
SECTION 3.(a)  By October 15, 2017, the State Board of Education shall develop procedures for Regional Alternative Licensing Centers (RALCs) and approved educator preparation programs to efficiently evaluate and advise military spouses applying for a lateral entry teaching license, including expediting the evaluation process and addressing obstacles to licensure for military spouses. To assist a military spouse applicant in meeting the requirements for a North Carolina teaching license, the State Board shall require any RALC or educator preparation program evaluating a military spouse who was granted a three‑year initial teaching license under G.S. 115C‑296.12, but was not employed continuously for the three‑year licensure period due to a deployment or reassignment of the applicant's spouse, to contact any other RALCs or educator preparation programs that previously evaluated the military spouse to obtain relevant documentation or information for licensure.
SECTION 3.(b)  By November 15, 2017, the State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the procedures developed for RALCs and educator preparation programs in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.
SECTION 4.  The Department of Public Instruction shall study the licensure process as it relates to military spouses, including the average number of military spouses who apply for teacher licensure in North Carolina, the average time it takes a military spouse's application to be approved, and the feasibility of expediting the processing of licensure applications submitted by military spouses. The Department shall report its findings to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by November 15, 2017.
SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to applications for teacher licensure submitted on or after that date.