A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to establish an elementary year‑round school pilot program.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Establish; Purpose. – The Department of Public Instruction shall establish an elementary year‑round school pilot program for local school administrative units to establish a year‑round school calendar for up to five eligible elementary schools. The purpose of the pilot program is to encourage establishing a year‑round schedule for elementary schools that have high‑need students to evaluate the impact on student outcomes, including summer learning loss and student performance. The pilot program shall be for three years, beginning with the 2018‑2019 school year and ending with the 2020‑2021 school year.
SECTION 2.  Applications. – By September 15, 2017, the Department of Public Instruction shall develop criteria and procedures for a local school administrative unit to apply to participate in the pilot program for an elementary school that meets at least the following criteria:
(1)	The elementary school had less than thirty‑five percent (35%) of the students enrolled in the school achieving reading proficiency in the prior school year.
(2)	The elementary school has more than fifty percent (50%) of the students enrolled in the school residing in households with an income level not in excess of the amount required for a student to qualify for the federal free or reduced‑price lunch program.
SECTION 3.  Selection. – By December 15, 2017, the Department of Public Instruction shall select local school administrative units for up to five eligible elementary schools to participate in the pilot program that represent the geographic diversity of North Carolina, including both urban and rural areas, to the extent possible from the pool of applicants.
SECTION 4.  Pilot Evaluation; Reports. – The Department of Public Instruction may contract with an institution of higher education with a graduate degree program in early childhood education for the duration of the pilot program to evaluate the implementation and success of the pilot programs, including at least the following:
(1)	The use of funds by local school administrative units participating in the pilot program.
(2)	Student outcome data, including student proficiency and student growth.
(3)	A comparison of student outcome data to other elementary schools operating on a traditional school calendar, particularly elementary schools with comparable student demographics and student proficiency data.
(4)	Other information the Department deems necessary.
The institution shall report by August 15 of each year, beginning with the initial report by August 15, 2019, and ending with a final report by August 15, 2021, to the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction on all aspects of the evaluation of the pilot program. By October 15 of each year, beginning with the initial report by October 15, 2019, and ending with a final report by October 15, 2021, the Department of Public Instruction shall report on the evaluation of the pilot program, and any legislative recommendations, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee.
SECTION 5.  Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million seven hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000) for the 2017‑2018 fiscal year and one million seven hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000) for the 2018‑2019 fiscal year to support implementation of the elementary year‑round school pilot program established by this act. The Department may use up to two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) of the funds appropriated in this section each fiscal year to contract with an institution of higher education for the pilot evaluations. Any remaining funds shall be used to award up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) each fiscal year to selected local school administrative units for each eligible elementary school for the implementation of the pilot program and associated costs, including student transportation and child care options to support the year‑round school schedule. Funds appropriated pursuant to this section shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure until the end of the 2020‑2021 fiscal year, at which time any unencumbered funds shall revert to the General Fund.
It is the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million seven hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000) for the 2019‑2020 fiscal year to be allocated to local school administrative units for the third year of the pilot program in accordance with this act.
SECTION 6.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.