A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY TO SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS IDENTIFIED AS LOW‑PERFORMING.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑84.2 is amended by adding two new subsections to read:
"(d1)	Modified Calendar for Low‑Performing Entities. – Notwithstanding subsection (d) of this section, local boards of education shall determine the dates of opening and closing the public schools under subdivision (a)(1) of this section, as follows:
(1)	If any school in the local school administrative unit was identified as low‑performing by the State Board of Education in the previous school year, for that school. The local board shall thereafter determine the dates of opening and closing for that school, regardless of whether the school is identified as low‑performing in subsequent school years, if that school receives a school performance grade of D or F. If in three subsequent, consecutive school years that school is not identified as low‑performing and receives a school performance grade of C or higher, the local board shall determine the dates of opening and closing for that school in the following year pursuant to subsection (d) of this section only.
(2)	If the local school administrative unit was identified as low‑performing by the State Board of Education in the previous school year, for all public schools in that administrative unit. If in three subsequent, consecutive school years that local school administrative unit is not identified as low‑performing, the local board shall determine the dates of opening and closing the public schools in the following year, subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection, pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.
(d2)	Study Modified Calendar. – The Department of Public Instruction shall study whether the modified calendar has an effect on student performance. As a part of its study, the Department shall consider all of the following:
(1)	The information submitted by the school improvement team pursuant to G.S. 115C‑105.27(b1).
(2)	The information used to calculate school performance pursuant to Part 1B of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes.
Using this information, the Department shall compare low‑performing schools following the traditional calendar under G.S. 115C‑84.2(d) to low‑performing schools following the modified calendar under G.S. 115C‑84.2(d1). The Department shall report the results of its study to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 15, 2019, and by March 15 of each year thereafter."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑105.27 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(b1)	Modified Calendar. – If a local board of education adopts a modified calendar pursuant to G.S. 115C‑84.2(d1), the school improvement team for each school operating under a modified calendar shall include the following information in its school improvement plan:
(1)	An outline of the goals to be achieved by operating under a modified school calendar.
(2)	An explanation of how operating under a modified school calendar will facilitate accomplishing its goals and increase student achievement.
(3)	A description of the modified school calendar, including the start date, end date, and scheduled breaks throughout the year.
(4)	A proposal for targeted learning interventions for students during scheduled breaks or an explanation of why targeted learning interventions are not offered.
(5)	A description of how the school will measure student and parent satisfaction with the modified calendar to determine how it is affecting families."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.