Legislative Agenda
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2026 Legislative Agenda
Approved by NCAPCS Board on April 20, 2026
The NC Association for Public Charter Schools is committed to being a voice for charter schools across the state. Each year we create a legislative agenda in preparation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly and share it with the charter school sector and the public. With the support of our school membership, legislative committee, and lobbying team, we build relationships with legislators and key stakeholders and educate them on current issues and challenges faced by charter schools. Our goal is to achieve equitable state policy for North Carolina’s charter schools.
Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund Program (Facilities Funding)
SUMMARY
This would establish the NC Charter School Facility Revolving Loan Program. This would provide North Carolina Public Charter Schools with the ability to secure low-interest loans to assist schools in establishing high-quality, high-performing operations for North Carolina’s students. The Program shall provide accepted applicants with initial funding for
constructing, purchasing, renovating, and maintaining public charter school facilities.
EXAMPLE
Often a charter school needs to finance the entire cost of a project. They may approach a commercial bank for a senior loan but that senior loan won’t pay for the entire cost of the project. The bank often requires the school to come up with some portion of the project costs, much like a home mortgage requires a 20% down payment. A charter school in its early years doesn’t have a down payment and will need to take out a secondary loan from another source. The RLFs can fill this need and be used to pay for the gap in funding. This leverages the bank financing and makes the investment into the RLF go further.
Zoning Challenges that Create Barriers to Charter School Construction
SUMMARY
Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes outlines the authority for development regulations. Certain aspects of the current law can be used to limit or restrict new school or facility construction, which means construction of a new school may require rezoning, a special use permit, and/or site plan review.
EXAMPLE
North Carolina’s charter school sector is the fastest growing in the country, including over 85,000 names on waiting lists. However, facilities and zoning challenges have delayed the opening of new schools. In 2023, Senate Bills 675 and 692 would have required all zoning ordinances to allow public school buildings to be permitted, but neither of those two bills were enacted. Re-visiting the provisions in these bills is a priority.
Grant Funding for Charter School Transportation
SUMMARY
Under current law G.S. 115C-218.42 charter schools with student enrollment of at least fifty percent (50%) of its students residing in households with an income level not in excess of the amount required for a student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program may apply for reimbursement of up to sixty-five percent (65%) of the eligible student transportation costs incurred by the school. Student transportation costs that are eligible for reimbursement include transportation fuel, vehicle maintenance, contracted transportation services, and transportation personnel salaries. This bill would require the following:
- Reduce the enrollment requirement to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of students residing in households with an income level not in excess of the amount required to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch.
- Modify the student transportation costs that are eligible for reimbursement.
- Increase the grant funding available and increase the maximum total amount awarded to eligible schools.
EXAMPLE
Transportation grant funds were allotted on February 4, 2026, under PRC 036. The Office of Charter Schools office received a total of 74 eligible applications, 11 more than the 2025 award. The amount of eligible expenses submitted increased to $8.8 million compared to $8.1 million for the 2025 award. The amount of state funding budgeted for the 2026 Charter
School Transportation Grant was $2.5 million. Given the number of eligible schools and amount of eligible expenses, schools received approximately 31% of eligible expenses. Increasing the grant funding available and increasing the maximum total amount awarded to eligible schools would relieve the pressure of transportation costs on eligible schools’ budgets.
Provide Funding for SROs in All PSUs
SUMMARY
School Resource Officer (SRO) funding is currently available through a grant to Elementary and Middle Schools only. Funding is awarded through an application process where districts and charter schools apply for funding based on their individual needs. In the 2023-24 school year, the state funded a total of $8,049,977 through school safety grants to charter schools. For 2024-2025, the School Resource Officer Grant Program made available $33 million earmarked for the hiring and training of school resource officers. These funds were available to district, charter and other independent public schools.
EXAMPLE
The amount requested for School Resource Officer funding increased from $36 million in 2022-2023 to $53 million in 2024-2025. The demand for SROs in the schools continues to grow. The Center for Safer Schools was able to allot the recurring $33 million for SROs this year, leaving $20 million in requests unfunded.
Low-wealth PSUs were able to request $44,000 per SRO, with a 4:1 local fund match. Non-low- wealth PSUs were able to request $36,666 per SRO, with a 2:1 local fund match.. Low wealth PSUs have a 4:1 match requirement. There are 85 charter schools who applied and received funding for an SRO. The total amount paid to charter schools was $2,336,649.00. Legislation should increase funding so that more schools could provide SROs, and High Schools would be eligible.
NCDOT Timely Reimbursement to Charter Schools
SUMMARY
Under current law charter schools have no logical process by which schools can be reimbursed for expenses incurred at the department’s request.
EXAMPLE
The DOT is required by law to reimburse schools for any roadway improvements it requires. These requirements often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, which charter schools must finance through their operating budgets. However, once schools request reimbursements, they are left uninformed about when they can expect those funds to be reimbursed. The delay in receiving reimbursement impedes pursuing educational programming which would be beneficial to students. A legislated timeline for reimbursement would assist schools in financial planning. Recommendation: 3 months.
Uniform Criminal Background Checks for Charters
SUMMARY
Under current law, G.S. 115C-296 does not provide the State Board of Education authority to require applicants of charter schools to be checked for a criminal history. The bill would require the following:
- Checks against the State and National Repositories of Criminal Histories for initial charter school boards of directors.
- Checks against the State and National Repositories of Criminal Histories for licensure by the State Board of Education.
- Require criminal history checks by local boards of education, regional boards of directors, charter boards of directors, and chancellors of laboratory schools before employment.
EXAMPLE
Many NC charter schools face issues when they attempt to do background checks that mirror the current district process, resulting in faulty results. It was recently reported that an individual who was serving on an applicant charter school’s board was just released from federal prison unbeknownst to the charter. Pursuing uniformity in background checks for boards and staff would relieve the stress many schools face.
Certification Requirements for EC Teachers in North Carolina Charter Schools
SUMMARY
North Carolina’s public charter school law stipulates that at least 50% of teachers in a charter school must be certified. The law does not specify any additional or separate certification requirements for EC teachers in charter schools. Therefore, EC teachers at charter schools are included in the general 50% certification requirement, with no specific mandate that all EC teachers be certified. The Department of Public Instruction’s treatment of EC teachers in charter schools should align with state charter school statute.
EXAMPLE
Charter school administrators have been informed that they must employ Exceptional Children (EC) teachers who are certified. However, an examination of the statute and DPI’s EC policy manual raises questions about this requirement. According to page 42 of DPI’s EC policy manual, all public school special education teachers in North Carolina are generally required to have full state certification or pass the state’s special education licensing exam. However, for teachers in public charter schools, the requirement is to meet whatever certification or licensing requirements are specified in the state’s public charter school law.
Teacher Evaluation Instruments for Charter Schools
SUMMARY
SL 2025-80 states that charter schools have the flexibility to create and implement their own teacher evaluation systems. However, any evaluation developed by a charter school must include standards and criteria that are similar to those found in the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards and the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process. Alternatively, charter schools may use any other evaluation standard and process that is required for local school administrative units. This ensures that while charter schools can customize their evaluation methods, they must maintain a level of rigor and consistency comparable to what is expected in traditional public schools.
- SBE (State Board of Education) policy conflicts with SL 2025-80
- State Board of Education Policy TCED-016 requires the evaluation of beginning teachers using a specific tool - NCEES (North Carolina Educator Evaluation System).
EXAMPLE
This policy mandates that beginning teachers, defined as those with less than three years of employment, participate in a comprehensive evaluation cycle that includes multiple formal observations, professional development plans (PDPs), and a teacher self-assessment. Current practice negates charter schools’ flexibility to evaluate all teachers, including beginning teachers, with their own teacher evaluation system.
- Authorized by the State Board of Education, Charter Schools are tuition-free public schools of choice that are operated by independent non-profit boards of directors.
- There are 208 public charter schools in the state, educating approximately 150,000 students this year. Charter Schools are held to the same accountability standards as district schools.
- The North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools (NCAPCS) is the leading Charter School membership organization in the state. NCAPCS is dedicated to advancing quality educational opportunities for all children in North Carolina by supporting and expanding successful Charter Schools. NCAPCS serves as an advocate on behalf of all North Carolina public Charter Schools in addition to providing a broad spectrum of technical support, mentoring, training, networking, and purchasing services to its membership.
For more information, contact Rhonda Dillingham, Executive Director, (336) 669-9996 or email rhonda@ncpubliccharters.org