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HB 1130

Re-Professionalizing the Teaching Profession.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 25 co-sponsors

HB 1130 boosts teacher pay and supports, including NBPTS loans, credits advanced credentials, adds sabbaticals, and expands calendar/remote flexibility while protecting planning ti

Passed 1st Reading
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Bill Summary · HB 1130

Summary of HB 1130 (Session 2025, North Carolina) — Re-Professionalizing the Teaching Profession

Note: This summary outlines the bill’s main aims, key provisions, affected parties, and timeline considerations based on the enacted text dated April 29, 2026.

1) Purpose and Intent

  • Reassert and expand compensation, incentives, and professional supports for public school teachers and instructional support personnel.
  • Increase local flexibility in school calendars and remote instruction policies.
  • Introduce an Exploratory Sabbatical Grant Program to support teacher retention and development.
  • Guarantee and enhance teacher planning time requirements.
  • Reinstate education-based salary supplements and adjust salary structures to reflect advanced credentials and NBPTS certification.

2) Key Provisions and Changes

Part I — Reinstatement of Education-Based Salary Supplements

  • Repeals G.S. 115C-302.10.
  • For 2025-2026, uses policy TCP-A-006 (as of June 30, 2013) to determine:
    • Whether teachers/instructional support personnel are paid on the "M" salary schedule.
    • Whether they receive a salary supplement for six-year/doctorate-level academic preparation.
  • Appropriates $8,000,000 recurring from the General Fund for 2026-2027 to reinstate these education-based supplements.
  • Effective July 1, 2026.

Part II — NBPTS Loan Program and Funds

  • Repeals G.S. 115C-296.2A; amends the NBPTS policy in G.S. 115C-296.2.
  • State policy emphasizes supporting NBPTS certification via:
    • Paid leave during the NBPTS process.
    • Forgivable loans to cover NBPTS participation fees.
    • Substantial salary differentials for NBPTS-certified teachers.
  • NBPTS Participation Fee: State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA) lends the fee and provides up to 3 days of paid leave for eligible teachers (three years of NC teaching, not previously funded, etc.; supervisor approval required).
  • Loan Forgiveness: Fee loan forgiven if NBPTS certification attained within 5 years; otherwise, repayment begins 12 months after loan disbursement, with a 3-year repayment window. Death or total disability triggers forgiveness.
  • Funds and administration: Establishes a trust fund for NBPTS-related loans, repayments, and interest; EFT/supervisory rules to be set by the State Board.
  • Appropriations: $1,140,000 recurring beginning 2026-2027 to provide forgivable loans toward NBPTS participation fees.

Part III — Increase Teacher Salaries

  • Introduces a 2026-2027 monthly salary schedule for licensed teachers (based on years of experience). Example values shown up to Year 30+.
  • Salary supplements (monthly) as follows:
    • NBPTS-certified teachers: +12% of monthly salary (on the "A" schedule).
    • "M" teachers: +10% of monthly salary (on the "A" schedule).
    • Six-year degree level licensure: +$126 per month (in addition to the "M" supplement).
    • Doctoral degree level licensure: +$253 per month (in addition to the "M" supplement).
    • Certified school nurses: +10% of monthly salary.
    • Counselors (masters-level or higher): +$100 per month.
  • Specialist roles (school psychologists, speech pathologists, audiologists at master’s level or higher):
    • First step aligned with the 6th step of the "A" schedule.
    • Monthly supplements: 10% of monthly salary plus $500 (i.e., combined supplements).
    • Eligible for salary supplements equivalent to six-year or doctoral academic preparation.
    • 26th step is 7.5% higher than the 25th step.
  • Longevity payments: Included in the base schedule since 2014; calculation method clarified to reflect longevity history (including prior years’ pay structures) for comparison.
  • Scope: Teacher includes instructional support personnel per definitions.
  • Funding: $4,390,000,000 in recurring funds for 2026-2027 to implement these raises.

Part IV — Exploratory Sabbatical Grant Program for Teachers

  • Establishes §115C-302.5 ( Exploratory Sabbatical Grant Program for Teachers).
  • Eligibility: 10+ years of teaching, no sabbatical in last 10 years, continuing professional license, not eligible for unreduced retirement.
  • Purpose: Allow eligible teachers to take sabbaticals as substitute teachers in others’ classrooms while continuing to receive full salary.
  • Application timeline: Request for applications by Nov 1; units submit by Feb 15; Department selects by Apr 15 for next school year.
  • Funding: Up to 500 sabbatical positions; each sabbatical creates a promoted classroom teaching slot within the unit.
  • Selection priorities: Favor teachers with 10–19 years’ experience, then 20–29 years.
  • Sabbatical terms: Substitute teaching up to one year; salary mirrors full teacher pay; unit determines substitute hours; return-to-work guaranteed (position may be different location/grade).
  • Administrative cap: Up to 1% of funds for administration.
  • Reporting: Annual report to Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee starting March 15, 2028, including participation, unit details, and retention outcomes.
  • Effective: July 1, 2026.
  • Additional funding: $40,000,000 recurring for 2026-2027 to provide grants to local units for one-year sabbaticals under this program.

Part V — School Calendar and Remote Instruction Flexibility

  • Calendar reporting: Local boards must report start/end dates to DPI and SBE for next year; identify exceptions for earlier starts.
  • State Board reporting: Annual starting June 15 to JLNEOC on start/end dates and early-start exceptions.
  • Opening/Closing dates: Student start no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug 26; closing no later than the Friday closest to June 11; waivers allowed for good cause with criteria defined.
  • Remote instruction: Up to 15 remote days/hours for waivers with good cause; otherwise up to 5 remote days/75 hours (public units) for emergency weather/closures; detailed plan submission due by July 1; annual reporting of remote instruction usage.
  • Effective: Date not specified beyond general effective clause; sections reference ongoing implementation.

Part VI — Protected Teacher Planning Time

  • Duty-free planning time requirement reinforced: Five hours per week minimum, subject to safety/supervision and available funds.
  • Duty-free time preservation: If safety prevents planning time during regular hours, funds revert to general fund; no undue burdens on teachers.

Part VII — Guaranteed Teacher Workdays

  • Reinstates (or reenacts) at least nine days of teacher workdays protected from duties beyond instructional and admin tasks.
  • Scheduling pattern: 3 days at start; one day after each quarter; 3 days at end of final quarter.

Part VIII — Effective Date

  • Most provisions become law upon enactment, with specified dates in various sections (not all immediate).

3) Who Is Affected

  • Public school teachers and instructional support personnel (including NBPTS-certified teachers, M-schedule teachers, six-year and doctoral-prepared teachers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, speech pathologists, and audiologists).
  • Local school administrative units (LEAs) responsible for implementing sabbatical grants, salary supplements, and flexible calendars.
  • Students and schools through calendar flexibility, remote instruction policies, and planning-time protections.
  • State agencies: Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, for policy administration, funding distribution, and reporting.

4) Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Effective date: July 1, 2026 (most sections).
  • Budgets/appropriations: Recurring General Fund allocations for 2026-2027 and beyond (multipronged funding amounts across Parts I, II, III, and IV).
  • Program reporting: Regular annual reporting requirements beginning in 2028 for sabbatical program outcomes.
  • Calendar and remote instruction changes require annual reporting by local boards and state-level oversight.

Overall, HB 1130 seeks to re-professionalize teaching in North Carolina by boosting compensation (including for advanced credentials and NBPTS), expanding professional development supports, enabling sabbaticals to support retention, and providing greater operational flexibility in calendars and remote instruction while preserving protected planning time and workdays.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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