North Carolina SB 508: LL to CPL/Apprenticeship Program.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 2
SENATE BILL 508
Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/9/25

Short Title: LL to CPL/Apprenticeship Program. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2025
*S508-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE A PATHWAY TO A CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL LICENSE 2
FOR TEACHERS TEACHING UNDER A LIMITED LICENSE, TO ESTABLISH THE 3
TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, TO REPURPOSE FUNDS FROM THE 4
TEACHER APPRENTICE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE TEACHER 5
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, AND TO REQUIRE THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 6
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AND THE STATE BOARD OF 7
COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO DEVELOP AN EXPEDITED TEACHER PIPELINE 8
PATHWAY. 9
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 10
11
PART I. CONVERTING A LIMITED LICENSE TO A CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL 12
LICENSE 13
SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-270.15 reads as rewritten: 14
"§ 115C-270.15. Examination requirements. 15
... 16
(e) Conversion to Continuing Professional License. – The Except as provided in 17
subsection (f) of this section, the State Board shall not convert an IPL or RL IPL, RL, or limited 18
license to a continuing professional license for a teacher who has not fulfilled the examination 19
requirements of this section. 20
(f) Waiver of Examination Requirements for Certain Individuals with Limited Licenses. 21
– The State Board shall convert a limited license to a continuing professional license for a teacher 22
who has available growth data under the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) 23
and has a positive growth score for two of the three most recent years for which growth scores 24
are available." 25
26
PART II. TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM 27
SECTION 2.(a) Article 17D of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 28
adding a new section to read: 29
"§ 115C-269.33. Teacher Apprenticeship Program. 30
(a) Definitions. – The following definitions shall apply in this section: 31
(1) Advanced Teaching Roles unit. – As defined in G.S. 115C-310.3(6). 32
(2) Apprentice. – A person who is employed as an apprentice by an apprenticeship 33
employer and meets all of the following criteria: 34
a. Holds a bachelor's degree. 35
b. Is eligible to hold or holds one of the following: 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 508-Second Edition
1. An emergency license. 1
2. A residency license. 2
3. A permit to teach issued by the Department in accordance with 3
rules adopted by the State Board of Education. 4
c. Submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 5
(3) Apprenticeship employer. – An Advanced Teaching Roles unit that meets all 6
of the following criteria: 7
a. Has a registered apprenticeship program under requirements 8
established by the United States Department of Labor. 9
b. Employs apprentices under the Program. 10
(4) Department. – The Department of Public Instruction. 11
(5) Program. – The Teacher Apprenticeship Program. 12
(6) RFP. – Request for proposals. 13
(b) Program Established; Purpose. – There is established the Teacher Apprenticeship 14
Program as a competitive grant program for the purpose of increasing the number of 15
professionally licensed teachers in the State and improving teacher competency, student 16
outcomes, and teacher retention in the State. The Department of Public Instruction shall 17
administer the Program in collaboration with ApprenticeshipNC as set forth in this section. 18
(c) Request for Proposals. – No later than November 1 of each year, ApprenticeshipNC 19
shall issue an RFP for the Program. Advanced Teaching Roles units may submit proposals by 20
January 1 of the following calendar year. Proposals shall include at least the following 21
information: 22
(1) A plan to establish a registered teacher apprenticeship program in 23
collaboration with ApprenticeshipNC, including at least the following 24
information: 25
a. The number of apprentices the unit intends to employ using grant 26
funds for State-funded salary supplements, State-funded enrollment 27
expenses, or both. 28
b. Specific subject areas and grade levels in the local school 29
administrative unit with teacher shortages. 30
(2) A system of supports that would be provided for apprentices, including 31
qualifications of mentor teachers and a schedule of supervision. 32
(3) Alternative sources of funding to support apprenticeships that could be paired 33
with State funds received under the Program, including federal workforce 34
development funds. 35
(4) An explanation of how the unit would incorporate its registered teacher 36
apprenticeship program with its advanced teaching roles program to enhance 37
the learning environment for apprentices. 38
(5) Strategies to encourage candidates to accept an apprenticeship instead of 39
directly entering the teacher profession on a Residency License, Emergency 40
License, or permit to teach. 41
(d) Selection of Recipients. – By March 15 of each school year in which proposals are 42
submitted, Ap