GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2013

S                                                                                                                                                    2

SENATE BILL 557

House Committee Substitute Favorable 6/18/13

Short Title:        NC Pre-K Funding Pilot.	(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

April 1, 2013

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to REQUIRE the department of health and Human services, division of child development and early education, to create a pilot program for funding of the NC Prekindergarten program and report on that program by January 31, 2014.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Pilot program. - The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall create a pilot program that provides funding for NC Pre-K classrooms on a per classroom basis. The pilot program shall include three different NC Pre-K contractual regions that are geographically diverse. The local NC Pre-K administrator shall contract with the provider for operation of a classroom established pursuant to the pilot program. The Division shall provide a report on the status of the pilot program to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division no later than January 31, 2014. The report shall include the following:

(1)        The number of students served.

(2)        The amount of funds paid for each classroom.

(3)        The amount of funds paid per student.

(4)        The student attendance records, parent satisfaction levels, teacher retention, and provider satisfaction levels for classrooms in the pilot program, as compared to classrooms having a traditional funding structure.

(5)        Information on the number of students and students' families using the Subsidized Early Education for Kids (SEEK) system.

(6)        A cost comparison of the classroom pilots to the average cost per student through the per student funding methodology.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2013.