The Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education leaned toward regional shared services for school district back-office work at its Oct. 19 meeting. DPI also told the commission it will miss a Nov. 15 deadline for its plan to put every district on one statewide finance system by 2031.
Most members of the State Board’s accountability task force favor dropping A-F letter grades for schools. Members also put growth at 35% to 50% of a school’s score, below the 50% the working group recommended.
The UNC System has awarded $400,000 to 15 campuses to build teacher apprenticeships and other new routes into the classroom. The grants come as more than 4,000 NC educators teach on temporary licenses and the state rolls out its own apprenticeship program.
A Wake County charter school is urging North Carolina’s highest court to reject a case related to a 13-year-old student’s off-campus suicide in 2022.
A draft state rule would let K-6 licensed teachers be assigned to grades 7 and 8. The commission reviewing it spent most of its time on shielding ed schools from the results.
The American Civil Liberties Union is supporting Cabarrus County school officials in a federal lawsuit involving biological males’ access to female restrooms at a local high school.
North Carolina ties for third in Defending Education’s first 50-state RISE rankings. The state scored highest on teacher policies, parental rights, and foreign influence, and lowest on DEI.
NC donors could give about $810 million a year under the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, up from $573 million in a September estimate. The increase comes from Treasury rules that let married couples claim $3,400.
North Carolina scored zero of 100 points in Reason Foundation’s 2026 ranking of state open enrollment laws, tying for last for the third straight year. The state has no statewide policy, and a legislative study due in 2027 covers only within-district transfers.
A new AEI report finds students with disabilities make up 17% of private school choice enrollment nationally, above their 15% share of public schools. North Carolina's ESA+ program accounts for 5,723 of them.
The state charter board approved a 900-student Charter One school in Harnett County and rejected a statewide virtual school and an all-boys high school in Wilmington. Members cited thin budgets, weak enrollment evidence, and a lack of online-school experience.
