H1096 - UNC Omnibus Changes/UNC Lab School Funds. (SL 2020-56)

Overview: Sec. 2 of S.L. 2020-56 makes the following changes to laboratory schools:

• Requires nine laboratory schools to be established, but allows a constituent institution to operate more than one laboratory school. This section changes requirements on when schools must open by, requiring six to be opened by the 2020-2021 school year, and an additional three by the 2022-2023 school year.
• Provides laboratory schools, in addition to other granted immunities, the same immunities granted under Chapter 115C to local boards of education.
• Authorizes a laboratory school to be renewed for additional five-year terms even if the local school administrative unit (LEA) criteria are not met, if the governing Subcommittee finds the school is successfully meeting its mission. This section also authorizes the governing Subcommittee to terminate the operation of a laboratory school at any time for failing to meet expected progress.
• Requires the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and State Board of Education to jointly develop maximum cost standards for facilities and services an LEA can provide a laboratory school. Laboratory schools have the ability to request any of the following to be provided by an LEA, who will be required to provide the services based on those cost standards: facilities, transportation, food services, and student services.
• Makes a conforming change to provide transportation funding to laboratory schools.

These changes apply beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, and apply to leases and agreements entered on or after June 30, 2020. The changes do not apply to existing leases, contracts, or agreements, unless mutually modified by the parties.

This section also makes the following changes regarding laboratory school admissions and student assignment:

• Allows a child of a laboratory school employee to be eligible to attend the school.
• Allows a laboratory school to enroll students not meeting any of the statutory criteria after March 1 annually if the school does not reach enrollment capacity by that date. The number of students admitted under this provision would be capped at 20% of total capacity.
• Requires reasonable efforts to be made by the laboratory school to reflect the demographics of the general population of the LEA within one year of opening.

These changes became effective with the 2020-2021 school year.

This section also transfers $200,000 from funds provided for the Future Teachers of North Carolina program to the Laboratory School Program for support services for the 2020-2021 school year.

Except as otherwise provided, this section became effective June 30, 2020.