HB 69, the Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act, provides two key benefits for military-affiliated individuals and veterans at North Carolina's University of North Carolina (UNC) schools. First, it requires UNC institutions to allow eligible military members (including reservists) and their spouses to defer admission for up to five years (for active duty) or two years (for reserve service) upon enrollment notice. Second, it establishes in-state tuition rates for honorably discharged veterans who served at least 90 days in the military, graduated from a North Carolina high school after 2004, had a North Carolina duty station, or received a Purple Heart. The bill applies to all UNC institutions beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.
HB 968 requires all North Carolina public K-12 schools to provide emergency preparedness education, beginning in grade 3 for elementary students and continuing through high school. It mandates state-developed standards for each grade level: elementary students learn about disaster types and school response plans, middle school students research past disasters and mass casualty events, and high school students are introduced to FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) materials. Local school boards must integrate this instruction into existing courses without adding new funding requirements. The law applies to all public schools statewide and takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 912, known as the Hometown Opportunities for Mentoring Educators (H.O.M.E.) Act, establishes a grant program to encourage teachers to work in the same local school administrative units where they were previously students. The program provides a $500 monthly salary supplement to "eligible teachers," defined as individuals who attended or graduated from a high school in a specific local unit and agree to teach there. The Department of Public Instruction will manage the program and disburse grants to local school units, which are also tasked with promoting the program to high school students. The bill appropriates $10 million annually to fund these teacher salary supplements.
HB 986, "Support Our Teachers," prohibits North Carolina school districts from requiring teachers to post lesson plans or objectives and bans schools from assigning work during teachers' designated lunch breaks. It also mandates that school districts compensate teachers financially for time spent leading professional development sessions for colleagues. The bill directly affects public school teachers and administrators across North Carolina, taking effect for the 2025-2026 school year. These provisions aim to reduce administrative burdens and recognize teachers' time spent in professional roles.
SB 691 would allow certain non-citizens, including those without lawful immigration status, to pay in-state tuition at UNC constituent institutions and North Carolina community colleges. To qualify, students must have graduated from a North Carolina high school or earned a high school equivalency diploma in the state, attended North Carolina schools for two consecutive years before high school, and (if undocumented) submit an affidavit about applying for legal status. The bill requires colleges to use a centralized process for residency determination and ensures all applicant information remains confidential. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to the 2025-2026 academic year.
SB 657, the "Keeping Our Coaches Act," allocates $11 million annually from sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for athletic coaches in North Carolina public schools. It directly affects eligible public school athletic coaches who currently receive non-state funds totaling less than $3,000 per year for coaching duties. The bill requires school units to maintain prior non-state funding levels for coaches, prohibits using state funds to replace those non-state contributions, and directs unspent funds to YMCA youth sports programs. This policy change becomes effective for the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 573 proposes to eliminate the standardized testing requirement for individuals applying for a teacher license in North Carolina. The bill repeals existing laws that mandate these examinations and prohibits the State Board of Education from adopting any future rules or policies requiring them. This change directly affects all applicants seeking a teacher license, including those pursuing a limited license.
This bill (SB 232) changes how Central Carolina Community College calculates student enrollment for two campuses to maintain their "multicampus center" status. Specifically, it requires the State Board of Community Colleges to combine full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts from each campus's main location and its Health Sciences Center when determining if they meet the minimum enrollment threshold. It directly affects the Harnett and Chatham campuses of Central Carolina Community College. The bill ensures these campuses can maintain their multicampus center status by including Health Sciences Center enrollment in their total FTE calculation.
SB 240 establishes the NCSTARS Grant Program to fund community colleges partnering with public schools and local businesses to create work-based learning programs for students aged 16+ in apprenticeships or preapprenticeships. It provides matching grants of up to $500,000 per year per community college, requiring a 3:1 state-to-local funding match for program costs like student stipends, travel, and staff. The program prioritizes applications modeling the Surry-Yadkin Works FLEET program and mandates annual reports on participation and outcomes. Total funding of $4.75 million is allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, supporting the program through 2028-2029.
SB 238 allocates $530,000 in recurring state funds for Edgecombe County Public Schools and $1.675 million for Pitt County Schools to ensure every public school in both counties has at least one full-time, permanent school nurse starting July 1, 2025. The funds must supplement - not replace - existing resources for school nursing services. This bill directly affects students and school staff in all public schools within Edgecombe and Pitt Counties by providing dedicated nursing support. It does not create new positions but secures ongoing state funding to address staffing needs.
