S257 - Appropriations Act of 2017. (SL 2017-57)

Overview: S.L. 2017-57, Sec. 7.16 (SB 257, Sec. 7.16) requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to implement the School Business System Modernization Plan proposed by the State Board of Education in a report required by prior legislation. The section expresses the General Assembly's intent to fund a multiphase, multiyear project to modernize, standardize, and integrate various education financial, human capital, and school information systems through a service enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution at the State and local level. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction (State Superintendent) must review and improve business processes in DPI and modernize State systems at DPI.

The State Superintendent must work with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University (Friday Institute), the Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), local superintendents, charter school leadership, and local school administrative unit (LEA) personnel administrators and finance officers to establish common data reporting requirements consistent with the Uniform Education Reporting System. All LEAs and charter schools must comply with the reporting requirements.

The State Superintendent must also work with the Friday Institute, GDAC, and other State agencies to improve communication between computer systems, and ensure that the modernized computer systems can share data with computer systems at other State agencies, community colleges, and constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina.

The State Superintendent must issue a Request for Proposal for ERP software by October 1, 2017, and select vendors for the development and implementation of the ERP and other enhancement solutions.

Prior to executing any contractual agreements and interagency data sharing agreements necessary to develop the financial reporting system, the State Superintendent must submit to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (Committee) and the Fiscal Research Division an initial report by September 15, 2017, on the progress of GDAC's development and deployment of a data integration service that consolidates data from financial, human resources, licensure, student information, and related systems. The State Superintendent must also submit an interim report to the Committee and the Fiscal Research Division by January 30, 2018, on the selection of a vendor for an ERP software. The State Superintendent must submit annual reports to the Committee and the Fiscal Research Division by March 15 of each year on the expenditure of funds and progress of implementation of the project until completion.

This section became effective July 1, 2017.