School Law Bulletin #1999/10

AFTER THREE VERY ACTIVE SESSIONS in 1996, 1997, and 1998, the North Carolina General Assembly in 1999 took a break from enacting major legislation affecting employment in the public schools. In 1996 the new School-Based Management and Accountability Program, commonly known as the ABCs Program, called for the classification of schools based on certain measures tied to student performance on particular standardized tests. By that legislation, numerous employment consequences for a school’s teachers and administrators, including the potential for dismissal, spring from the classification of the school. The Excellent Schools Act of 1997 brought wholesale changes to school employment, affecting everything from teacher training through certification, tenure, and the procedures for dismissal. In 1998 the legislature worked to fine tune some of the earlier legislation and provided, in a break with the past, for the employment of uncertified teachers in certain circumstances.

The 1999 General Assembly continued the upward movement in teachers’ salaries begun with the Excellent Schools Act, tinkered with certification and dismissal provisions, substantially addressed issues related to sexual harassment and improper sexual contact, and attempted to improve instructional conditions for teachers. This article summarizes legislation resulting from those actions.