North Carolina SB 579: Transforming the High School Experience.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 2
SENATE BILL 579
Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/30/25

Short Title: Transforming the High School Experience. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2025
*S579-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN 2
COMMISSION, TO ESTABLISH VARIOUS COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING 3
PROGRAMS, AND TO PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE INTENT AS TO AMOUNTS AND 4
USES OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THESE PURPOSES. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN COMMISSION 8
SECTION 1.(a) Commission Established. – There is established the North Carolina 9
High School Redesign Commission (Commission). The Commission shall be located 10
administratively in the Department of Public Instruction but shall exercise all of its prescribed 11
powers independently of the Department. The purpose of the Commission is to explore and 12
recommend changes to policies and systems governing high school and higher education that 13
will better prepare North Carolina students for success as they transition to higher education or 14
the workforce. 15
SECTION 1.(b) Commission Membership. – The Commission shall consist of 15 16
members as follows: 17
(1) Two members appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of 18
the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 19
(2) Two members appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of 20
the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 21
(3) One member appointed by the Governor. 22
(4) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee. 23
(5) The President of The University of North Carolina or his or her designee. 24
(6) The President of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities or his 25
or her designee. 26
(7) The President of the North Carolina Community College System or his or her 27
designee. 28
(8) The chief executive officers of each of the following organizations, or their 29
designees: MyFutureNC, the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, BEST 30
NC, and SparkNC. 31
(9) One chief administrative officer or president of a community college 32
participating in a program, project, or initiative developed pursuant to this act 33
and one superintendent of a local school administrative unit participating in a 34
program, project, or initiative developed pursuant to this act or their respective 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 579-Second Edition
designees. These members shall be appointed by the chair of the Commission 1
elected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. 2
SECTION 1.(c) The Commission shall elect a chair from the members appointed by 3
the General Assembly. Each member shall have one vote for the chair, except those members to 4
be appointed by the chair pursuant to subdivision (9) of subsection (b) of this section who shall 5
be appointed after a chair is elected. The Commission shall meet at least four times annually. The 6
Commission shall meet on the call of the chair or as additionally provided by the Commission. 7
A quorum is six members of the Commission. Members may not vote by proxy. 8
SECTION 1.(d) All members shall be appointed to terms for the entire duration of 9
the Commission. Any vacancy in a term shall be filled by the appointing authority for the 10
remainder of the unexpired term. 11
SECTION 1.(e) Commission Duties. – The Commission shall examine promising 12
practices in North Carolina and nationally to inform the Commission's recommendations. At a 13
minimum, the Commission shall consider the following: 14
(1) Flexible requirements for high school diplomas that are relevant to the 15
knowledge, skills, and abilities students will need for success in the future 16
workforce. 17
(2) Access to apprenticeships, internships, clinical experiences, and other 18
high-quality, work-based learning experiences while in high school. 19
(3) Opportunities for students to earn industry recognized credentials while in 20
high school. 21
(4) Partnerships between public school units and North Carolina Community 22
Colleges, The University of North Carolina, and North Carolina Independent 23
Colleges and Universities for the purposes of facilitating subdivisions (1) 24
through (3) of this subsection. 25
(5) Personalized pathways for students to satisfy core graduation requirements. 26
(6) Modular credit bearing alternatives to semester or yearlong courses. 27
(7) Competency-based alternatives to time bound courses. 28
(8) Strategies for extending learning beyond school walls at scale via community 29
connected experiences, including incorporating incentives for local businesses 30
to partner with schools. 31
(9) Uses of artificial intelligence to expand student opportunities to engage in 32
career exploration and work-based learning experiences. 33
(10) Alternative funding models to enable the development of a statewide learning 34
ecosystem that encourages subd