North Carolina HB 941: Expand and Enhance the Teaching Fellows Program.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 941

Short Title: Expand & Enhance the Teaching Fellows Program. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Ball, Prather, Johnson-Hostler, 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
*H941-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE THE NORTH CAROLINA TEACHING FELLOWS 2
PROGRAM. 3
Whereas, the pursuit of teaching is the pursuit of excellence, and excellent teachers 4
are not just born, they are developed, equipped, trained, and valued; and 5
Whereas, all students in North Carolina deserve to be taught by excellent teachers; 6
and 7
Whereas, the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program has an important legacy in 8
North Carolina, providing the best and brightest students the opportunity to have a place of 9
influence and distinction by elevating them to a vital role – the role of a teacher; and 10
Whereas, based on the sorely inadequate and regularly declining enrollment in teacher 11
preparation programs and an accelerating teacher turnover rate, North Carolina is facing an 12
overwhelming teacher shortage across the State, especially in rural counties; and 13
Whereas, the teacher shortage is a growing crisis for our entire educational system as 14
well as the future of our State; and 15
Whereas, to solve this problem and provide stable, talented, motivated, and excellent 16
teachers in our classrooms, we need to continue to rebuild the North Carolina Teaching Fellows 17
Program; Now, therefore, 18
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 19
20
PART I. REVISE TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM 21
SECTION 1. Part 3 of Article 23 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes reads as 22
rewritten: 23
"Part 3. North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. 24
"§ 116-209.60. Definitions. 25
The following definitions apply in this Part: 26
... 27
(5a) Qualifying licensure area. – A teacher licensure area in one of the following 28
subjects: 29
a. Either of the following, as identified pursuant to G.S. 116-209.62(h): 30
1. Special education. 31
2. Stem. 32
b. Elementary education (K-6). 33
c. Middle Grades Language Arts. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 941-First Edition
d. Middle Grades Social Studies. 1
e. English (9-12). 2
f. Social Studies (9-12). 3
g. History (9-12). 4
... 5
"§ 116-209.62. North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program established; administration. 6
... 7
(b) Trust Fund. – There is established the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program 8
Trust Fund to be administered by the Authority, in conjunction with the System Office of The 9
University of North Carolina. All funds (i) appropriated to, or otherwise received by, the Program 10
for forgivable loans and other Program purposes, (ii) received as repayment of forgivable loans, 11
and (iii) earned as interest on these funds shall be placed in the Trust Fund. The purpose of the 12
Trust Fund is to provide financial assistance to qualified students for completion of teacher 13
education and licensure programs to fill teach in qualifying licensure areas in the public schools 14
of the State. 15
(c) Uses of Monies in the Trust Fund. – The monies in the Trust Fund may be used only 16
for (i) forgivable loans granted under the Program, (ii) administrative costs associated with the 17
Program, including recruitment and recovery of funds advanced under the Program, (iii) 18
mentoring and coaching support to forgivable loan recipients, and (iv) extracurricular 19
enhancement activities of the Program in accordance with the following: 20
(1) The Authority shall transfer the greater of six hundred thousand dollars 21
($600,000) or ten percent (10%) the following amounts of the available funds 22
from the Trust Fund to The University of North Carolina System Office at the 23
beginning of each fiscal year year: 24
a. The greater of six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) or ten percent 25
(10%) for the Program's administrative costs, the salary of the Director 26
of the Program and other Program staff, expenses of the Commission, 27
and to provide the Commission with funds to use for the 28
extracurricular enhancement activities of the Program.staff, and 29
expenses of the Commission. 30
b. The sum of up to six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) for 31
extracurricular enhancement activities of the Program, including (i) 32
summer programs to maintain year-round connections and (ii) alumni 33
programs to foster continued engagement after graduation. These 34
activities should be geared to instilling a strong motivation not only to 35
remain in teaching but to provide leadership for tomorrow's schools. 36
c. The sum of up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the 37
Director of the Program to implement the recruitment activities 38
identified in subsection (d) of this section. 39
... 40
(f) Program Selection Criteria