PESA Class Aides & Child. Wartime Vets Funds.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1020

Short Title: PESA Class Aides & Child. Wartime Vets Funds. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Paré, Blackwell, Chesser, and Loftis (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 22, 2026
*H1020-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF PERSONAL EDUCATION STUDENT ACCOUNT 2
FUNDS FOR EDUCATION -RELATED SUPPORT SERV ICES PROVIDED BY A 3
ONE-TO-ONE CLASSROOM AIDE AND TO APPROPR IATE FUNDS TO SUPPOR T 4
THE CHILDREN OF WARTIME VETERANS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. AUTHORIZE US E OF PERSONAL EDUCAT ION STUDENT ACCOUNT 8
FUNDS FOR ONE-TO-ONE CLASSROOM AIDES 9
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-591 reads as rewritten: 10
"§ 115C-591. Definitions. 11
The following definitions apply in this Article: 12
… 13
(4a) One-to-one classroom aide. – A person who holds at least a high school 14
diploma, or its equivalent, and who supports an eligible student in a classroom, 15
and other educational settings as necessary, at the request of the Part 1 or 2 16
nonpublic school in which the eligible student is enrolled. 17
…." 18
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-595 reads as rewritten: 19
"§ 115C-595. Parental agreement; use of funds. 20
(a) Parental Agreement. – The Authority shall provide the parent of a scholarship 21
recipient with a written agreement, applicable for each year the eligible student receives 22
scholarship funds under this Article, to be signed and returned to the Authority prior to receiving 23
the scholarship funds. The agreement shall be submitted to the Authority electronically. The 24
parent shall not designate any entity or individual to execute the agreement on the parent's behalf. 25
A parent or eligible student's failure to comply with this section shall result in a forfeit of 26
scholarship funds and those funds may b e awarded to another eligible student. The parent shall 27
agree to the following conditions in order to receive scholarship funds under this Article: 28
… 29
(3) Use the scholarship funds deposited into a personal education student account 30
only for the following qualifying education expenses of the eligible student: 31
a. Tuition and fees for a G.S. 115C-562.5 compliant school, disbursed as 32
provided in subdivision (1) of subsection (a1) of this section. 33
b. Textbooks required by a nonpublic school. 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1020-First Edition
c. Tutoring and teac hing services provided by an individual or facility 1
accredited by a State, regional, or national accrediting organization. 2
d. Curricula. 3
e. Fees for nationally standardized norm -referenced achievement tests, 4
advanced placement tests, or nationally recogniz ed college entrance 5
exams. 6
f. Fees charged to the account holder for the management of the PESA. 7
g. Fees for services provided by a public school, including individual 8
classes and extracurricular programs. 9
h. Premiums charged to the account holder for any insurance or surety 10
bonds required by the Authority. 11
i. Educational therapies from a licensed or accredited practitioner or 12
provider. 13
j. Educational technology defined by the Authority as approved for use 14
pursuant to G.S. 115C-591(2a). 15
k. Student transportation, pursuant to a contract with an entity that 16
regularly provides student transportation, to and from (i) a provider of 17
education or related services or (ii) an education activity. 18
l. Transaction or merchant fees charged to the account holder, not to 19
exceed two and one -half percent (2.5%) of the cost of the item or 20
service. 21
m. Education-related support services provided by a one -to-one 22
classroom aide to an eligible student enrolled in a Part 1 or 2 nonpublic 23
school. A one-to-one classroom aide shall not provide services to other 24
students during the instructional day. The nonpublic school in which 25
an eligible student is enrolled shall submit documentation to the 26
Authority describing the education-related support services requested 27
for an eligible student each semester in the manner prescribed by the 28
Authority. 29
(3a) Use of scholarship funds for reimbursement of tuition. – Notwithstanding 30
sub-subdivision a. of subdivision (3) of this subsection, a parent of an eligible 31
student may pay tuition to Par t 1 or 2 nonpublic schools that are not 32
G.S. 115C-562.5 compliant schools with funds other than funds available in 33
the personal education student account and then request reimbursement from 34
the Authority from scholarship funds if the parent complies with t he 35
provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a1) of this section. 36
(4) Not use scholarship funds for any of the following purposes: 37
a. Computer hardware or other technological devices not defined by the 38
Authority as educational technology approved for us e pursuant to 39
G.S. 115C-591(2a). 40
b. Consumable educational supplies, including paper, pen, or markers. 41
c. Tuition and fees at an institution of higher education, as defined in 42
G.S. 116-143.1, or a private postsecondary institution. 43
d. Tuition and fees for a nonpublic school that meets the requirements of 44
Part 3 of Article 39 of this Chapter. 45
e. Educational-related support services provided by a one -to-one 46
classroom aide who is any of the following: 47
1. A parent, guardian, legal custodian, sibling, or grandparent of 48
the eligible student. 49
2. An employee or independent contractor of the Part 1 or 2 50
nonpublic school in which the eligible student is enrolled. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 1020-First Edition Page 3
…." 1
SECTION 1.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning 2
with the 2026-2027 school year. 3
4
PART II. FUNDS FOR THE CHILDREN OF WARTIME VETERANS SCHOLARSHIP 5
SECTION 2.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of 6
Governors of T he University of North Carolina for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year the sum of one 7
million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds to be allocated to the State Education 8
Assistance Authority (Authority) to increase award amounts for recipients of scholarships for the 9
children of wartime veterans for the 2025 -2026 academic year up to the full amounts permitted 10
under Part 2 of Article 14 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes to the extent those award 11
amounts were reduced by the Secretary of the Department of M ilitary and Veterans Affairs 12
pursuant to the award flexibility provided in Part VI of S.L. 2025-72. If any of these funds remain 13
after increasing award amounts for scholarship recipients in accordance with this subsection, the 14
Authority may use the remaining funds to award additional scholarships for qualifying children 15
of wartime veterans under Part 2 of Article 14 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes, beginning 16
in the 2026-2027 academic year. 17
SECTION 2.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund t o the Board of 18
Governors of The University of North Carolina for the 2026 -2027 fiscal year the sum of seven 19
million dollars ($7,000,000) in recurring funds to support additional scholarships for qualifying 20
children of wartime veterans under Part 2 of Article 14 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes, 21
beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year. 22
SECTION 2.(c) Subsection (b) of this section becomes effective July 1, 2026. 23
24
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 25
SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 26
law. 27