Aggie Academy Learning Lab/Funds.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Mary Belk and 15 co-sponsors

Allocates $1,000,000 recurring from the General Fund to the UNC Board of Governors for NC A&T's Aggie Academy, a UNC lab school, in 2025–26 to strengthen operations and programs.

Passed 1st Reading

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HB 880 — Aggie Academy Learning Lab / Funds (North Carolina)

Status: Passed 1st Reading
Introduced: November 12, 2024
Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2025
Primary sponsor(s): Representative Quick (primary sponsors list also includes Clark, Harrison, Branson)
Subject areas: Appropriations; Education; UNC; UNC Board of Governors; North Carolina A&T State University; laboratory schools

Purpose / Intent

HB 880 provides state appropriations to support Aggie Academy, a University of North Carolina laboratory (lab) school operated by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). The intent is to supply additional recurring financial resources to strengthen the lab school’s operations, instructional programming, and related activities.

Key provisions

Appropriation: Directs $1,000,000 in recurring funds from the State General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Allocation: The Board of Governors is directed to allocate the funds to North Carolina A&T State University to provide additional support specifically for NC A&T’s Aggie Academy.

Authority cited: Aggie Academy is identified as a UNC laboratory school established under Article 29A of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes.

Effective date: The act would become effective July 1, 2025.

No programmatic detail: The bill appropriates general support; it does not specify line‑item uses (e.g., salaries, facilities, curriculum) or additional reporting requirements.

Who is affected

Primary recipient: North Carolina A&T State University and its Aggie Academy laboratory school program.

Administrative recipient: The UNC Board of Governors (as the vehicle for receiving and allocating funds).

Beneficiaries: Students, teachers, and staff of Aggie Academy; potentially local schools and teacher preparation/clinical practice partnerships associated with the lab school model.

Fiscal impact: A $1.0 million recurring increase in state expenditures from the General Fund beginning in FY 2025–26.

Potential impact and considerations

Program support: The funding can be used to expand or sustain Aggie Academy activities (classroom resources, program development, staff, professional development), though specific uses are not mandated by the bill text.

Recurring nature: Described as recurring funds for FY 2025–26, indicating an intent for ongoing support, subject to future appropriations.

Local/strategic impact: As a UNC lab school, Aggie Academy serves as a demonstration and training site; funding may enhance teacher preparation, innovation, and student outcomes in Guilford County/Greensboro where NC A&T is located.

Fiscal scale: $1 million is modest relative to statewide K–12 budgets but can be meaningful for a single lab school’s operations or program enhancements.

Procedural / timeline notes

Introduced Nov 12, 2024 (per bill information).

Listed status: Passed 1st Reading.

Becomes effective July 1, 2025 if enacted.

Administration and additional appropriations or statutory changes beyond this one appropriation would require further legislative action.

If you want, I can draft a brief fiscal impact note or outline likely categories of expenditure Aggie Academy might use the $1 million for (staffing, curriculum, facilities, partnerships).