NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1977 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 682

SENATE BILL 237

 

 

AN ACT TO PROMOTE AND PROVIDE FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN AND USE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  Chapter 115 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article within Subchapter II to be designated Article 7A and to read as follows:

"ARTICLE 7A.

"Community Schools Act.

"§ 115-73.1.  Title of Article. — This Article shall be known and may be cited as the 'Community Schools Act'.

"§ 115-73.2.  Purpose of Article. — The purpose of this Article is to encourage greater community involvement in the public schools and greater community use of public school facilities. To this end it is declared to be the policy of this State:

(1)        to provide for increased involvement by citizens in their local schools through community schools advisory councils, and

(2)        to assure maximum use of public school facilities by the citizens of each community in this State.

It is further declared to be the policy of this State that, to the extent sufficient funds are made available, each local board of education shall comply with the provisions of this Article.

"§ 115-73.3.  Definitions. — As used in this Article:

(1)        The terms 'public school facility' or 'public school facilities' mean any education facility under the jurisdiction of a local board of education, whether termed an elementary school, middle school, junior high school or high school.

(2)        The term 'community schools advisory council' means a committee of citizens organized to advise community school coordinators, administrators, and local boards of education in the involvement of citizens in the educational process and in the use of public school facilities.

(3)        The term 'community schools coordinator' means an employee of a local board of education whose responsibility it is to promote and direct maximum use of the public schools and public school facilities as centers for community development.

(4)        The term 'interagency council' means a committee of agency and organizational representatives appointed by the Governor to work with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction concerning the involvement of statewide agencies and organizations with the public schools.

"§ 115-73.4.  State Board of Education; duties, responsibilities. — The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prepare and present to the State Board of Education recommendations for general guidelines for encouraging increased community involvement in the public schools and use of public school facilities. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall consult with the interagency council in preparing the general guidelines. These recommendations shall include, but shall not be limited to provisions for:

(1)        the use of public school facilities by governmental, charitable or civic organizations for activities within the community;

(2)        the utilization of the talents and abilities of volunteers within the community for the enhancement of public school programs including tutoring, counseling and cultural programs and projects; and

(3)        increased communications between the staff and faculty of the public schools, other community institutions and agencies, and citizens in the community.

Based on the recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education shall adopt appropriate policies and guidelines for encouraging (1) increased community involvement in the public schools; and (2) use of the public school facilities.

The State Board of Education shall establish rules and regulations governing the submission and approval of programs prepared by local boards of education for encouraging increased community involvement in the public schools and use of public school facilities.

The State Board of Education is authorized to allocate funds to the local boards of education for the employment of community schools coordinators and for other appropriate expenses upon approval of a program submitted by a local board of education and subject to the availability of funds. In the event that a local board of education already has sufficient personnel employed performing functions similar to those of a community schools coordinator, the State Board of Education may allocate funds to that local board of education for other purposes consistent with this Article. Funds allocated to a local board of education shall not initially exceed three fourths of the total budget approved in the community schools program submitted by a local board of education.

"§ 115-73.5.  Authority and responsibility of local boards of education. — Every local board of education which elects to apply for funding pursuant to this Article shall:

(1)        develop programs and plans for increased community involvement in the public schools based upon policies and guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education;

(2)        develop programs and plans for increased community use of public school facilities based upon policies and guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education;

(3)        establish rules governing the implementation of such programs and plans in its public schools and submit these rules along with adopted programs and plans to the State Board of Education for approval by the State Board of Education.

Programs and plans developed by a local board of education shall provide for the establishment of one or more community schools advisory councils for the public schools under the board's jurisdiction and for the employment of one or more community schools coordinators. The local board of education shall establish the terms and conditions of employment for the community schools coordinators.

Every local board of education which elects to apply for funding pursuant to this Article shall have the authority to enter into agreements with other local boards of education, agencies and institutions for the joint development of plans and programs and the joint expenditure of funds allocated by the State Board of Education. Local funds from every local board of education applying for funds for the community schools program must equal one fourth of the total budget for the community schools program of said local board of education.

"§ 115-73.6.  Community schools advisory councils; duties; responsibilities; membership. — Every participating local board of education shall establish one or more community schools advisory councils which may become involved in matters affecting the educational process in accordance with rules established by the local board of education and approved by the State Board of Education and further shall consider ways of increasing community involvement in the public schools and utilization of public school facilities. Community schools advisory councils may assist local boards of education in the development and preparation of the plans and programs to achieve such goals, may assist in the implementation of such plans and programs and may provide such other assistance as may be requested by the local boards of education.

Community schools advisory councils shall work with local school officials and personnel, parent-teacher organizations, and community groups and agencies in providing maximum opportunities for public schools to serve the communities, and shall encourage the maximum use of volunteers in the public schools.

At least one half of the members of each community schools advisory council shall be the parents of students in the particular public school system provided when less than twenty-five (25%) of the pupils attending a particular school reside outside the immediate community of the school, such persons shall be parents of students in the particular school for which the advisory council is established. The size of the councils and the terms of membership on the councils shall be determined by the local board of education in accordance with the State guidelines.

"§ 115-73.7.  Community schools coordinators. — Every participating local board of education shall employ one or more community schools coordinators and shall establish the terms and conditions of their employment. Community schools coordinators shall be responsible for:

(1)        providing support to the community schools advisory councils and public school officials;

(2)        fostering cooperation between the local board of education and appropriate community agencies;

(3)        encouraging maximum use of community volunteers in the public schools; and

(4)        performing such other duties as may be assigned by the local superintendent and the local board of education, consistent with the purposes of this Article."

Sec. 2.  This program and the provisions of this act shall be implemented to the extent appropriations are provided by the General Assembly and funds are made available by local government, but nothing herein contained shall be construed to obligate the General Assembly to appropriate additional funds to the Department of Public Education. No more than five percent (5%) of the total allocation shall be used for State leadership within the State Department of Public Instruction.

Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 22nd day of June, 1977.