Addressing NC's Teacher Crisis/NTSP.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 531

Short Title: Addressing NC's Teacher Crisis/NTSP. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Ball, von Haefen, Prather, and R. Pierce (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
March 27, 2025
*H531-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO APPROPRIAT E FUNDS TO INCREASE SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS 2
PARTICIPATING IN THE NORTH CAROLINA NEW TEACHER SUPPORT 3
PROGRAM. 4
Whereas, teacher effectiveness is the most important factor in delivering positive 5
student outcomes to address North Carolina's teacher crisis; and 6
Whereas, North Carolina remains in crisis, as the 2022 -2023 State of the Teaching 7
Profession report indicated that eleven and one -half percent (11.5%) of teachers left their 8
teaching role in the previous school year; and 9
Whereas, the 2022 -2023 State of the Teaching Profession report indicated that the 10
attrition rate for beginning teachers was higher than the overall rate, at roughly fifteen percent 11
(15%); and 12
Whereas, fewer students are enrolled in the 15 educator preparation programs (EPPs) 13
at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina; and 14
Whereas, nearly half of new teachers are entering the profession through alternative 15
teacher preparation programs, such as the residency license; and 16
Whereas, the 2022-2023 State of the Teaching Profession report showed that North 17
Carolina teacher vacancies are in excess of 6,150 statewide instructional vacancies on the first 18
day of school, up 610 positions from the previous year; and 19
Whereas, certain l ocal school administrative units are more vulnerable to teacher 20
attrition; and 21
Whereas, on -the-job learning and comprehensive induction into the teaching 22
profession between the first and second years of teaching is where the most gains in teacher 23
effectiveness are realized; and 24
Whereas, half of North Carolina's teachers leave the profession after five years, and 25
the personnel costs associated with teacher attrition are twelve thousand five hundred dollars 26
($12,500) per teacher; and 27
Whereas, according to the 2022-2023 State of the Teaching Profession report, of the 28
2,547 teachers issued a permit to teach in 2018-2019, only fifty-five percent (55%) completed a 29
residency license by 2020-2021; and 30
Whereas, more than half of resident teachers in North Carolina are no longer teaching 31
in the public schools, representing a loss of seventeen million five hundred thousand dollars 32
($17,500,000); and 33
Whereas, the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program is a program of The 34
University of North Carolina and administrativ ely coordinated by East Carolina University and 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 531-First Edition
is a comprehensive induction program providing research -based curriculum and multiple 1
services to increase teacher effectiveness, enhance skills, and reduce attrition among beginning 2
teachers; and 3
Whereas, teachers participating in the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program 4
were significantly more likely than other beginning teachers working in similar schools to return 5
(i) to North Carolina public schools overall, (ii) to the same local school administrative unit, and 6
(iii) to the same school in the following year; and 7
Whereas, for many teachers, cost is a barrier to participation in the North Carolina 8
New Teacher Support Program; Now, therefore, 9
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 10
SECTION 1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors 11
of The University of North Carolina the sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) in recurring 12
funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be allocated for the North Carolina New Teacher Support 13
Program (Program) to increase participation in the Program by qualifying new teacher graduates 14
without additional cost to local school administrative units. First priority for receipt of these funds 15
shall be for qualifying new teacher graduates working in local school administrative units located 16
in a county that is designated as a development tier one area in the annual ranking performed by 17
the Department of Commerce pursuant to G.S. 143B-437.08. For purposes of this section, the 18
term "qualifying new teacher graduate" shall refer to persons teaching in North Carolina public 19
schools who meet one of the following criteria: 20
(1) Hold one of the following types of alternative teaching licenses: 21
a. An emergency license. 22
b. A residency license. 23
c. A permit to te ach issued by the Department of Public Instruction in 24
accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education. 25
(2) Are graduates of a recognized educator preparation program at a constituent 26
institution of The University of North Carolina. 27
SECTION 2. The funds appropriated in Section 1 of this act shall be used in 28
programs designed to address the specific needs of teachers with alternative teaching licensure 29
who will begin their teaching careers in North Carolina public schools through a blended model 30
of support to include: 31
(1) Participation in a beginning teacher summit hosted by the North Carolina New 32
Teacher Support Program, a professional conference event for early career 33
educators. 34
(2) An assigned instructional coach familiar with the region and local school 35
context to guide improvements in the proficiency of teachers in planning, 36
instruction, and assessment. 37
(3) Access to and participation in ongoing, career -embedded professional 38
development to meet their emerging needs with consideration of thei r 39
professional context. 40
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 41