North Carolina SB 689: 2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 689

Short Title: 2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Overcash, Corbin, and Alexander (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S689-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE CHARTER SCHOOLS REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL OF ALL 2
STATE RULES RELATED TO CHARTER SCHOOLS, TO AUTHORIZE THE REVIEW 3
BOARD TO HIRE LEGAL COUNCIL, TO EXEMPT CHARTER SCHOOLS FROM 4
REPORTING CLASS RANK ON STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS, TO ALLOW CHARTER 5
SCHOOLS TO USE ALTERNATE TEACHER EVALUATIONS, TO REQUIRE 6
LOW-PERFORMING CHARTERS TO REPORT IMPROVEMENT PLANS TO THE 7
REVIEW BOARD ONLY, TO ALLOW THE CHARTER SCHOOLS REVIEW BOARD 8
TO REVIEW DECISIONS RELATED TO CHARTER SCHOOL FEDERAL FUNDING, 9
TO CREATE AN EXPEDITED APPLICATION PROCESS FOR CERTAIN REMOTE 10
CHARTER ACADEMIES, AND TO HAVE REMOTE CHARTER ACADEMIES 11
GRADED SEPARATELY. 12
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 13
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-218 reads as rewritten: 14
"§ 115C-218. Purpose of charter schools; role of State Board of Education; establishment 15
of North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board and North Carolina Office of 16
Charter Schools. 17
... 18
(a1) State Board of Education. – The State Board of Education shall have the following 19
duties regarding charter schools: 20
(1) Rulemaking. – To establish all rules for the operation and approval of charter 21
schools. Any rule or policy adopted by the State Board regarding charter 22
schools shall first be approved and recommended by the Charter Schools 23
Review Board. 24
(2) Funding. – To allocate funds to charter schools. 25
(3) Appeals. – To hear appeals from decisions of the Charter Schools Review 26
Board under G.S. 115C-218.9. 27
(4) Accountability. – To ensure accountability from charter schools for school 28
finances and student performance. 29
(b) North Carolina Charter Schools Review Board. – 30
... 31
(10) Powers and duties. – The Review Board shall have the following duties: 32
a. To make recommendations to the State Board of Education on the 33
adoption of propose, recommend, and approve rules and policies 34
regarding all aspects of charter school operation, including time lines, 35
processes, standards, and criteria for acceptance and approval of 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 689-First Edition
applications, monitoring of charter schools, and grounds for 1
revocation of charters. 2
... 3
e. To review any decisions or conduct any hearings pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 4
§ 1231b-2 concerning the provision, repayment, or termination of 5
funds provided to a charter school. 6
f. To contract for and employ legal counsel, including private counsel, 7
to advise, represent, and provide litigation services to the Review 8
Board, without need to obtain permission or approval pursuant to 9
G.S. 114-2.3 or G.S. 147-17. 10
... 11
(c) North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. – 12
... 13
(2) Executive Director. – The Executive Director shall report to and serve at the 14
pleasure of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Review Board at a salary 15
established by the Superintendent Review Board within the funds 16
appropriated for this purpose. The duties of the Executive Director shall 17
include presenting the recommendations and decisions of the Review Board 18
at meetings of the State Board. 19
...." 20
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-218.15(c) reads as rewritten: 21
"(c) A charter school shall operate under the written charter signed by the State 22
Superintendent and the applicant. The terms of the written charter shall be approved by the 23
Review Board. A charter school is not required to enter into any other contract. The charter shall 24
incorporate the information provided in the application, as modified during the charter approval 25
process, and any terms and conditions imposed on the charter school by the Review Board, or if 26
the approval is granted through an appeal pursuant to G.S. 115C-218.9, any conditions imposed 27
by the State Board of Education. No other terms may be imposed on the charter school as a 28
condition for receipt of local funds." 29
SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 115C-218.85 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 30
"(d) Notwithstanding G.S. 116-11(10a) or any other provision of law to the contrary, a 31
charter school shall not be required to list class rank on a student's official transcript or record." 32
SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 115C-218.90(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to 33
read: 34
"(7) A charter school may develop and use any evaluation for conducting 35
evaluation of teachers provided that it includes standards and criteria similar 36
to those used in the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards and 37
North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process, or such other evaluation standard 38
and process required to be used by local school administrative units." 39
SECTION 1.(e) G.S. 115C-218.94 is amended