North Carolina HB 106: School Calendar Flexibility/Various Local Education Authorities.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 3
HOUSE BILL 106
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/1/25
Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 4/16/25

Short Title: Revive High-Need Retired Teachers Program. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
February 13, 2025
*H106-v-3*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REVIVE AND EXPAND THE PROGRAM ALLOWING RETIRED 2
EDUCATORS TO RETURN TO WORK IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-302.4 is reenacted as it existed immediately prior to its 5
expiration. 6
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-302.4, as reenacted by this act, reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 115C-302.4. High-need retired teachers. 8
(a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 9
(1) High-need retired teacher. – A beneficiary of the Teachers' and State 10
Employees' Retirement System of North Carolina who meets both of the 11
following requirements: 12
a. Retired on or before February 1, 2019, on or before May 1, 2025, after 13
attaining (i) the age of at least 65 with five years of creditable service, 14
(ii) the age of at least 60 with 25 years of creditable service, or (iii) 30 15
years of creditable service. 16
b. Is reemployed by a local board of education the governing body of a 17
public school unit to provide classroom instruction as a teacher, as 18
defined in G.S. 135-1(25), employed on an annual contract to provide 19
classroom instruction exclusively at a high-need school or schools. 20
(2) High-need school. – A school that, at any point on or after July 1, 2017, meets 21
one of the following criteria: 22
a. Is a Title I school. As used in this sub-subdivision, a Title I school is a 23
school identified under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and 24
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended. 25
b. Receives an overall school performance grade of D or F, as calculated 26
by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d). 27
(3) STEM. – Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 28
(b) Salary Level. – A high-need retired teacher shall be compensated as follows: 29
(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, a high-need retired 30
teacher shall be paid on the first step of the teacher salary schedule. 31
(2) If a high-need retired teacher serves as a teacher in any of the following 32
licensure areas, he or she shall be paid on the sixth step of the teacher salary 33
schedule: 34
a. STEM. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 106-Third Edition
b. Special education. 1
(c) No State Salary Supplements or Increase in Salary. – A high-need retired teacher shall 2
not receive any State salary supplement or State bonus. A high-need retired teacher shall not 3
move beyond the salary steps prescribed by subsection (b) of this section, regardless of the length 4
of time spent as a high-need retired teacher. 5
(d) Local Salary Supplement. – A high-need retired teacher reemployed by a local board 6
of education shall receive any local salary supplements that are given to employees of the local 7
board of education. 8
(e) Term of Contract. – A contract between the local board of education governing body 9
of a public school unit and a high-need retired teacher shall be for a term of no more than one 10
school year. 11
(f) Identification of STEM and Special Education Licensure Areas. – The Superintendent 12
of Public Instruction shall identify and provide to each local school administrative unit public 13
school unit a list of STEM and special education licensure areas that qualify for reemployment 14
pursuant to subdivision (b)(2) of this section. Local school administrative units shall make the 15
list of STEM and special education licensure areas available to high-need retired teachers." 16
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 135-3(a)(8) is amended by adding a new sub-subdivision to 17
read: 18
"i. Notwithstanding sub-subdivisions c. and d. of this subdivision, the 19
computation of postretirement earnings under this subdivision shall 20
not include earnings while a beneficiary is employed as a high-need 21
retired teacher as defined under G.S. 115C-302.4(a) and the 22
beneficiary shall not be restored to service as a teacher or employee. 23
The Department of Public Instruction shall certify to the Retirement 24
System that a beneficiary is employed by the governing body of a 25
public school unit as a high-need retired teacher. No later than 26
September 15 annually, a public school unit shall inform the 27
Retirement System if it will not employ any high-need retired teachers 28
for that school year. The retirement allowance of a beneficiary who 29
retired on an early or service retirement shall not cease due to 30
reemployment as a high-need retired teacher. A beneficiary 31
reemployed as a high-need retired teacher is not entitled to any benefits 32
otherwise provided under this Chapter as a result of this period of 33
employment." 34
SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 135-3(a)(8)c1. reads as rewritten: 35
"c1. Wi