DRIVE Recommendations/Teacher Diversity.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 910

Short Title: DRIVE Recommendations/Teacher Diversity. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Hawkins, Baker, F. Jackson, and von Haefen (Primary
Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 14, 2025
*H910-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT VARIOUS INITIATIVES AND PROGRAM EXPANSIO NS TO 2
PROMOTE TEACHER DIVE RSITY AND INCREASE T EACHER RECRUITMENT, 3
INCLUDING AS RECOMME NDED BY THE GOVERNOR 'S DRIVE TASK FORCE 4
REPORT, AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THESE PURPOSES. 5
Whereas, a diverse educator workforce improves student elementary, secondary, and 6
postsecondary outcomes and benefits every student; and 7
Whereas, developing a more representative educator workforce that mirrors the 8
diversity of the student body in North Carolina requires incremental progress over time; and 9
Whereas, the teacher shortage in North Carolina necessitates innovative and specific 10
programs, including 2+2 certification for educators, to put more teachers in the classroom, 11
especially in special education and rural areas; and 12
Whereas, to solve the recruitment and retention problems in North Carolina and to 13
provide every student with a well-trained and qualified educator, the State must promote teacher 14
diversity from recommendations outlined in the report of the DRIVE Task Force; and 15
Whereas, the DRIVE Network is governed by an entity that was approved by the 16
DRIVE Task Force that was established by the Governor after the scheduled end of the DRIVE 17
Task Force on December 31, 2023, to continue t he work of the DRIVE Task Force; Now, 18
therefore, 19
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 20
21
PART I. ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS/TEACHER RECRUITMENT MODELS 22
SECTION 1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 23
Public Instruction the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds for the 24
2025-2026 fiscal year for research -based Grow-Your-Own and 2+2 programs in all regions of 25
the State, including high school -based career academy programs, the North Carolina Teacher 26
Cadet Program, Teaching as a Profession, and the TAs to Teachers and Troops to Teacher 27
programs. 28
29
PART II. DEVELOPING A REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUSIVE VISION FOR THE 30
EDUCATION (DRIVE) GRANT PROGRAM 31
SECTION 2.(a) Purpose. – The State Board of Education, in consultation with the 32
Office of the Governor, The University of North Carolina System Office, and the Community 33
Colleges System Office, and the DRIVE Network shall establish a grant program to support 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 910-First Edition
strategic partnerships committed to increasing the pipeline of educators of color across the State. 1
As an extension of the recommendations and strategies presented by the Governor's DRIVE Task 2
Force on January 1, 2021, the grants shall be provided to local school administrative units, 3
institutions of higher education, and community organizations to implement innovative 4
initiatives that support the recruitment, preparation, support, and retention of racially, ethnically, 5
and linguis tically diverse educators. The purpose of this program shall be to do at least the 6
following: 7
(1) Increase the diversity of the educator workforce across the State through novel 8
recruitment efforts. 9
(2) Strengthen the pipeline of aspiring teachers of color across the State through 10
traditional and alternative certification pathways. 11
(3) Provide mechanisms to support and retain educators of color currently serving 12
in elementary and secondary public schools. 13
(4) Promote collaboration between school systems, in stitutions of higher 14
education, and community and nonprofit organizations to diversify the 15
educator workforce. 16
SECTION 2.(b) Applications. – Applicants for grants shall demonstrate at least the 17
following for grant award consideration: 18
(1) A partnership be tween at least two of the following entities: local school 19
administrative units, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 20
Historically Minority -Serving Institutions, educator preparation programs, 21
alternative certification programs, public and private colleges and universities, 22
community colleges, and community or nonprofit organizations. 23
(2) Proposals for strategies that address one or more of the following components 24
of the educator development continuum as highlighted by the DRIVE Task 25
Force's 2021 Report to the Governor: recruitment, placement and induction, 26
and support and retention of educators of color. 27
SECTION 2.(c) Use of Funds. – Grant funds may be used for the following 28
activities: 29
(1) Strengthening existing high school dual enrollment programs to offer 30
education-based college credit or honors courses as streamlined pathways for 31
future careers in education. 32
(2) Implementing targeted school system-level and community-based recruitment 33
programs for aspiring educators of color interested in traditional and 34
alternative educator preparation programs. 35
(3) Utilizing and leveraging existing financial aid programs that include 36
scholarships, loan forgiveness, and tuition reimbursement that reduce the 37
disproportionate financial burden incurred by aspiring candidates of color. 38
(4) Increasing preparation and supporting preservice educators of color through 39
paid clinical learning experiences, with a commitment to teaching in North 40
Carolina public schools. 41
(5) Offering support for job placement and licensure for candidates of color after 42
completing their educator preparation program. 43
(6) Providing induction and mentoring programs that address the needs of 44
educators of color that include sustaining networking and professional 45
learning communities or affinity groups. 46
(7) Encouraging and fi nancially supporting educators of color interested in 47
joining national professional organizations or attending national conferences. 48
SECTION 2.(d) Request for Proposal. – By October 1, 2025, the State Board of 49
Education shall issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the grant program. Applicants shall submit 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 910-First Edition Page 3
their proposals by December 1, 2025. The RFP shall require that proposals include the following 1
information, at a minimum: 2
(1) Description of the proposal. 3
(2) Evidence-based research that supports the proposal. 4
(3) An implementation time line for the plan. 5
(4) Plans for financial sustainability once grant money is no longer available. 6
SECTION 2.(e) Selection. – By February 1, 2026, a selection committee shall select 7
up to five grantees, making the effort to ensure that there is representation across the State as 8
reflected by rural and urban districts, institutions of higher education, and community -based 9
partners. Any grants awarded may be spent over a five-year period from the initial award. Grants 10
may be awarded for new or existing projects. 11
SECTION 2.(f) Reporting Requirements. – No later than September 1 of each year, 12
grant recipients shall submit to the State Board of Education an annual report for the preceding 13
grant year that describes the implementation of the program. This report must include qualitative 14
and quantitative data to demonstrate program effectiveness. 15
SECTION 2.(g) Evaluation and Reporting. – Of the funds appropriated by this 16
section, the State Board of Education may use up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) 17
to contract with the DRIVE Network, housed at the Public School Forum of North Carolina, Inc., 18
to evaluate the impact of this grant program. The DRIVE Network shall report the results of this 19
evaluation to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Fiscal Research Division, 20
and the Office of State Budget and Management by September 1, 2027. The State Board of 21
Education shall report annually on the implementation of this grant program beginning January 22
1, 2027. 23
SECTION 2.(h) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to 24
the Department of Public Instruction the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring 25
funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to implement the grant program in accordance with this 26
section. 27
SECTION 2.(i) Carryforward. – Any unexpended funds at the end of each fiscal 28
year from the funds appropriated for the grant program under this section shall not revert to the 29
General Fund but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes set forth in this section. 30
31
PART III. RECRUITMEN T BONUS PILOT PROGRA M FOR TEACHERS IN 32
LOW-WEALTH, LOW-PERFORMING, OR HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOLS 33
SECTION 3.(a) Purpose. – The State Board of Education shall establish a grant 34
program to assist local school administrative units in providing multiyear recruitment bonuses to 35
certified teachers who commit to teach multiple years in a low-performing or high-needs school. 36
Bonuses awarded as part of this grant program shall include, but are not limited to, the following 37
components: 38
(1) Awards over multiple years with a requirement that teachers remain in the 39
school over multiple years to receive the bonus. 40
(2) Awards to licensed teachers who commit to teach in a school identified as 41
low-performing, as defined in G.S. 115C-105.37, a school identified as 42
continually low -performing as defined in G.S. 115C-105.37A, or a school 43
with an identified student percentage (ISP) of seventy -five percent (75%) or 44
greater as used in the National School Lunch Program for qualification for the 45
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program. 46
SECTION 3.(b) Request for Proposal. – By September 1, 2025, and annually 47
thereafter, the State Board of Education shall issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the grant 48
program. Local boards of education shall submit their proposals by December 1, 2025. The RFP 49
shall require that proposals include the following information, at a minimum: 50
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(1) Description of the proposal, including details on targeted schools for the 1
bonuses and how the bonus program will be structured. 2
(2) Evidence-based research that supports the proposal. 3
(3) Implementation time line for the plan. 4
(4) Plans for financial sustainability once grant money is no longer available. 5
SECTION 3.(c) Grant Awards. – By February 15, 2026, the State Board of 6
Education shall review the proposals submitted by local boards of education and shall select up 7
to 10 local school administrative units for grant awards. The State Board of Education may make 8
grant awards for up to three years. A local school administrative unit may not receive more than 9
five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in a single fiscal year from the grant program. 10
SECTION 3.(d) Evaluation and Reporting. – Of the funds appropriated by this 11
section, the State Board of Education may use up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) 12
to contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the impact of this grant 13
program. The independent research organization shall report the results of this evaluation to the 14
Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Office 15
of State Budget and Management by September 1, 2028. The Department of Public Instruction 16
shall report annually on the implementation of this grant program beginning March 1, 2026. 17
SECTION 3.(e) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the Gene ral Fund to 18
the Department of Public Instruction the sum of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) in recurring 19
funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to implement the grant program in accordance with this 20
section. 21
SECTION 3.(f) Carryforward. – Any unexpended funds appropriated under this 22
section at the end of the 2025 -2026 fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund but shall 23
remain available for the purposes set forth in this section. 24
25
PART IV. TEACHER PREPARATION RESIDENCY PILOT GRANT PROGRAM 26
SECTION 4.(a) Purpose. – The State Board of Education shall establish a grant 27
program to assist local school administrative units in the development of teacher preparation 28
residency pilot programs. Teacher preparation residency programs provide the necessary 29
preparation and induction supports to teacher preparation candidates pursuing a continuing 30
professional license. Teacher preparation residency programs eligible to receive grant funding 31
through this program shall include, at a minimum, the following components: 32
(1) Coursework in the candidate's area of licensure. 33
(2) Tuition and stipends. 34
(3) Faculty advising. 35
(4) Clinical training experiences. 36
(5) Ongoing induction support. 37
Residency programs eligible for this grant program may include partnerships between 38
local school adm inistrative units, educator preparation programs, local community colleges or 39
universities, and other community organizations. Grant funds awarded to local school 40
administrative units under this program shall be matched by the local school administrative unit 41
on the basis of one dollar ($1.00) in nongrant funds for every one dollar ($1.00) in grant funds. 42
SECTION 4.(b) Request for Proposal. – By October 1, 2025, the State Board of 43
Education shall issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the grant program. Lo cal boards of 44
education shall submit their proposals by January 15, 2026. The RFP shall require that proposals 45
include the following information, at a minimum: 46
(1) Description of the proposal, including the number of teacher preparation 47
candidates to be served. 48
(2) Evidence-based research that supports the proposal. 49
(3) Implementation time line for the plan. 50
(4) Plans for financial sustainability once grant money is no longer available. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 910-First Edition Page 5
SECTION 4.(c) Grant Awards. – By April 15, 2026, the State Board of Education 1
shall review the proposals submitted by local boards of education and shall select up to 10 local 2
school administrative units for grant awards. The State Board of Education may make grant 3
awards for up to three years. A local school administrative unit may not receive more than five 4
hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in a single fiscal year from this grant program. 5
SECTION 4.(d) Evaluation and Reporting. – Of the funds appropriated by this 6
section, the State Board of Education may use up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) 7
to contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the impact of this grant 8
program. The independent research organization shall report the results of this evaluation to the 9
Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Office 10
of State Budget and Management by September 1, 2029. The Department of Public Instruction 11
shall report annually on the implementation of this grant program beginning March 1, 2027. 12
SECTION 4.(e) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to 13
the Department of Public Instruction the sum of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) in recurring 14
funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal y ear to implement the grant program in accordance with this 15
section. 16
SECTION 4.(f) Carryforward. – Any unexpended funds appropriated under this 17
section at the end of the 2025 -2026 fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund but shall 18
remain available for the purposes set forth in this section. 19
20
PART V. EXPANSION OF FELS PROGRAM/ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY 21
SECTION 5.1. G.S. 116-209.45(e) reads as rewritten: 22
"(e) Eligibility for Loans. – The Authority shall establish the criteria for initial and 23
continuing eligibility to participate in the Program. All loan recipients shall be residents of North 24
Carolina and shall attend an eligible institution. 25
The Authority shall adopt standards deemed appropriate by the Authority to ensure that only 26
qualified, potential recip ients receive a loan under the Program. The standards may include 27
minimum grade point average and satisfactory academic progress. The Authority shall include 28
individuals currently holding a bachelor 's degree seeking preparation for teacher licensure as 29
potential recipients to receive a loan under the Program." 30
SECTION 5.2. G.S. 116-209.45(g) reads as rewritten: 31
"(g) Advisory Group. – The Authority shall appoint an advisory group composed of, at 32
minimum, appropriate representatives from higher education institutions and health and labor 33
departments, agencies, or commissions to make recommendations to the Authority regarding the 34
Authority's future apportionment and distribution of Program loans based on projected labor 35
market shortages, higher education en rollment projections, and other relevant information. The 36
Advisory Group shall also make recommendations to the Authority regarding strategies to 37
encourage participation in the Program for potential recipients of color, specifically among 38
individuals pursuing teacher licensure." 39
40
PART VI. EXPAND NC TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM 41
SECTION 6.(a) Part 3 of Article 23 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes reads as 42
rewritten: 43
"Part 3. North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. 44
"§ 116-209.60. Definitions. 45
The following definitions apply in this Part: 46
(1) Commission. – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission. 47
(2) Director. – The Director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. 48
(3) Forgivable loan. – A forgivable loan made under the Program. 49
(4) Program. – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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(5) Public school. – An elementary or secondary school located in North Carolina 1
that is governed by a local board of education, charter school board of 2
directors, regional school board of directors, or Universi ty of North Carolina 3
laboratory school board of trustees. 4
(5a) Qualifying licensure area. – A teacher licensure area in one of the following 5
subjects: 6
a. Either of the following, as identified pursuant to G.S. 116-209.62(h): 7
1. Special education. 8
2. STEM. 9
b. Elementary education (K-6). 10
(5b) Qualifying teacher. – A teacher in a North Carolina public school who meets 11
the following criteria: 12
a. Received a forgivable loan under the Program. 13
b. Graduated within 10 years from an educator preparation program 14
leading to teacher licensure, excluding any authorized deferment for 15
extenuating circumstances. 16
c. Serves as a teacher in a qualifying licensure area. 17
(6) STEM. – Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 18
(7) Trust Fund. – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program Trust Fund. 19
… 20
"§ 116-209.62. North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program established; administration. 21
(a) Program. – There is established the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program to be 22
administered by the System Office of The University of North Carolina, in conjunction with the 23
Authority and the Commission. The purpose of the Program is to recruit, prepare, and support 24
students residing in or attending institutions of higher education located in North Carolina for 25
preparation as highly effective teachers in qualifying licensure areas in the State's public schools. 26
The Program shall be used to provide a forgivable loan to individuals interested in preparing to 27
teach in the public schools of the State in qualifying licensure areas.State. 28
(b) Trust Fund. – There is established the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program 29
Trust Fund to be administered by the Authority, in conjunction with the System Office of The 30
University of North Carolina. All funds (i) appropriated to, or otherwise received by, the Program 31
for forgivable loans and other Program purposes, (ii) received as repayment of forgivable loans, 32
and (iii) earned as interest on these funds shall be placed in the Trust Fund. The purpose of the 33
Trust Fund is to provide financial assistance t o qualified students for completion of teacher 34
education and licensure programs to fill qualifying licensure areas teach in the public schools of 35
the State. 36
… 37
(d) Director of the Program. – The Board of Governors of The University of North 38
Carolina shall appoint a Director of the Program. The Director shall appoint staff to the 39
Commission and shall be responsible for recruitment and coordination of the Program, including 40
proactive, aggressive, and strategic recruitment of potential recipients. Efforts shall include 41
identifying and encouraging student s of color and students who may not otherwise consider a 42
career in teaching to enter the Program. Recruitment activitie s shall include a broad -based 43
strategy (i) targeting regions of the State with the highest teacher attrition rates and teacher 44
recruitment challenges, challenges and (ii) actively engaging with educators, business leaders, 45
experts in human resources, elected officials, and other community leaders throughout the State, 46
and (iii) attracting candidates in qualifying licensure areas to the Program. State to attract a 47
diverse pool of applicants. The Director shall report to the President of The University of North 48
Carolina. The Authority shall provide office space and clerical support staff, as necessary, to the 49
Director for the Program. 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 910-First Edition Page 7
(e) Student Selection Criteria for Fo rgivable Loans. – The Commission shall adopt 1
stringent standards for awarding forgivable loans based on multiple measures to ensure that only 2
the strongest applicants receive them, including the following: 3
(1) Grade point averages. 4
(2) Performance on relevant career and college readiness assessments. 5
(3) Experience, accomplishments, and other criteria demonstrating qualities 6
positively correlated with highly effective teachers, including excellent verbal 7
and communication skills. 8
(4) Demonstrated commitment to serve in a qualifying licensure area in North 9
Carolina public schools. 10
(f) Program Selection Criteria. – The Authority shall administer the Program in 11
cooperation with up to 10 any institutions of higher education with approved a State Board of 12
Education-approved educator preparation programs program selected by the Commission that 13
represent a diverse selection of both postsecondary constituent institutions of The University of 14
North Carolina and private postsecondary institutions operating in the State . The Commission 15
shall adopt stringent standards for selection of the most effective educator preparation programs, 16
including the following: 17
(1) Demonstrates high rates of educator effectiveness on value-added models and 18
teacher evaluations, including using performance -based, subject -specific 19
assessment and support systems, such as edTPA or other metrics of evaluating 20
candidate effectiveness that have predictive validity. 21
(2) Demonstrates measurable impact of prior graduates on student learning, 22
including impact of graduates teaching in qualifying licensure areas. 23
(3) Demonstrates high rates of graduates passing exams required for teacher 24
licensure. 25
(4) Provides curricular and co -curricular enhancements in leadership, facilitates 26
learning for diverse lea rners, and promotes community engagement, 27
classroom management, and reflection and assessment. 28
(5) Requires at least a minor concentration of study in the subject area that the 29
candidate may teach. 30
(6) Provides early and frequent internship or practical experiences, including the 31
opportunity for participants to perform practicums in diverse school 32
environments. 33
(7) Is approved by the State Board of Education as an educator preparation 34
program. 35
(8) For an educator preparation program enrolling loan recipients in a program of 36
study leading to licensure in elementary education (K -6), provides training 37
that is aligned with the Science of Reading in accordance with 38
G.S. 115C-269.20. The Commission shall contract with a third-party entity to 39
biennially evaluate whether a program identified in this subdivision is 40
providing training that is aligned with the Science of Reading. 41
(g) Awards of Forgivable Loans. – The Program shall provide forgivable loans to selected 42
students to be used at up to 10 selected institutions for completion of a program leading to initial 43
teacher licensure as follows: 44
(1) North Carolina high school seniors. – Forgivable loans of up to five thousand 45
dollars ($5,000) per semester for up to eight semesters. ten thousand dollars 46
($10,000) per academic year for up to four academic years. 47
(2) Students applying for transfer to a selected educator preparation program at 48
an institution of higher education. – Forgivable loans of up to five thousand 49
dollars ($5,000) per semester for up to six semesters. ten thousand dollars 50
($10,000) per academic year for up to four academic years. 51
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(3) Individuals currently holding a bachelor's degree seeking preparation for 1
teacher licensure. – Forgivable loans of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) 2
per semester for up t o four semesters. ten thousand dollars ($ 10,000) per 3
academic year for up to two academic years. 4
(4) Students matriculating at institutions of higher education who are changing to 5
an approved program of study at a selected educator preparation program. – 6
Forgivable loans of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) per semester for up 7
to four semesters.ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per academic year for up to 8
four academic years. 9
Forgivable loans may be used for tuition, fees, the cost of books, and expenses related to 10
obtaining licensure. 11
(h) Identification of STEM and Special Education Licensure Areas. – The Superintendent 12
of Public Instruction shall identify and provide to the Commission and the Authority a list of 13
STEM and special education licensure areas and shall annually provide to the Commission the 14
number of available positions in each qualifying licensure area relative to the number of current 15
and anticipated teachers in that area of licensure. The Commission shall make the list of STEM 16
and special education licensure areas readily available to applicants. 17
(i) Administration of Forgivable Loan Awards. – Upon the naming of recipients of the 18
forgivable loans by the Commission, the Commission shall transfer to the Authority its decisions. 19
The Authority, in coordination with the Director, shall perform all of the administrative functions 20
necessary to implement this Part, which functions shall include rule making, disseminating 21
information, acting as a liaison with participating institutions of higher education, implementing 22
forgivable loan agreements, loan monitoring, loan cancelling through service and collection, 23
determining the acceptability of service repayment agreements, enforcing the agreements, and 24
all other functions necessary for the execution, pa yment, and enforcement of promissory notes 25
required under this Part. 26
(j) Annual Report. – The Commission, in coordination with the Authority, the 27
Department of Public Instruction, and the selected educator education programs participating in 28
the Program sh all report no later than January 1, 2019, and annually thereafter, to the Joint 29
Legislative Education Oversight Committee regarding the following: 30
(1) Forgivable loans awarded from the Trust Fund, including the following: 31
a. Demographic information regarding recipients. 32
b. Number of recipients by institution of higher education and program. 33
c. Information on number of recipients by anticipated qualifying 34
licensure area. 35
(2) Placement and repayment rates, including the following: 36
a. Number of graduates who h ave been employed in a qualifying 37
licensure area within two years of program completion. 38
b. Number of graduates who accepted employment at a low -performing 39
school identified under G.S. 115C-105.37 as part of their years of 40
service. 41
c. Number of graduates who have elected to do loan repayment and their 42
years of service, if any, prior to beginning loan repayment. 43
d. Number of graduates employed in a qualifying licensure area who 44
have received an overall rating of at least accomplished and have met 45
expected gr owth on applicable standards of the teacher evaluation 46
instrument. 47
e. Aggregate information on student growth and proficiency in courses 48
taught by graduates who have fulfilled service requirements through 49
employment in a qualifying licensure area.employment. 50
…." 51
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House Bill 910-First Edition Page 9
SECTION 6.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the North Carolina 1
Teaching Fellows Program Trust Fund the sum of five million seven hundred thousand dollars 2
($5,700,000) in recurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to support an additional 490 teacher 3
licensure candidates. 4
SECTION 6.(c) Subsection (a) of this section applies to applications for the award 5
of funds beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. 6
7
PART VII. PEPSC/EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM REPORTING CHANGES 8
SECTION 7.1. G.S. 115C-269.35(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision to 9
read: 10
"(12a) The percentage of students of color enrolling in and completing the program. 11
For the purposes of this subsection, a student of color means a student 12
identifying as Hispanic, African American, Asian, American Indian, Native 13
Hawaiian, or of two or more races." 14
SECTION 7.2. G.S. 115C-269.50 reads as rewritten: 15
"§ 115C-269.50. EPP report cards.cards; report on diversity. 16
(a) EPP Report Card. – The State Board shall create an annual report card for each EPP 17
that, at a minimum, summarizes the information collected in the annual performance reports, as 18
set forth in G.S. 115C-269.35(b). The report cards shall provide user -friendly access to the 19
public, and shall provide the ability t o easily compare annual report card information between 20
EPPs, including performance and other data reported by each EPP, as provided in 21
G.S. 115C-269.35(b). The State Board shall make the report cards available to the public through 22
the State Board's Internet Web site on an annual basis beginning December 15, 2019, and shall 23
submit the report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee annually by that date. 24
(b) Annual Report on Diversity. – Each educator preparation program shall report to the 25
State Board the following information on an annual basis regarding the diversity of identified 26
persons disaggregated by the following diversity categories: race, sex, ethnicity, age, and 27
disability status: 28
(1) Total number of identified persons. 29
(2) Retention rates of identified persons who are employees of the program. 30
(3) The number of students who complete the program, the number of graduates 31
licensed in North Carolina, and the number of graduates employed in a public 32
school unit. 33
(4) Qualitative d ata from identified persons on the diversity of the program, 34
including applicable information on recruitment, educator preparation, 35
retention, mobility, and turnover. 36
(5) Recommendations from the program to improve diversity of identified 37
persons, including strategies to recruit and retain a diverse pool of identified 38
persons. 39
(c) Beginning June 15, 2026, and every June 15 thereafter, the State Board shall collect 40
the information from the annual report from the educator preparation programs under subsection 41
(b) of this section and report the results to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, 42
disaggregated by diversity category: 43
(1) Statewide data for each educator preparation program. 44
(2) Recommendations from the State Board to improve diversity among 45
identified persons in programs, including strategies to recruit and retain a 46
diverse pool of identified persons." 47
48
PART VIII. ELIMINATE MINIMUM TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATOR 49
PREPARATION PROGRAM ADMISSION 50
SECTION 8.(a) G.S. 115C-269.15(a) is repealed. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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SECTION 8.(b) This section applies beginning with applications for admission to 1
an EPP in the 2025-2026 academic year. 2
3
PART IX. EFFECTIVE DATE 4
SECTION 9. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 5