Quick Scorecard for School-Calendar Related Bills...2009

Without a lot of fluff, here is a quick glimpse into the 10 bills filed and considered by the 2009 NC General Assembly that failed to "make it" into law for various reasons. (For information on bills that are still available for consideration, go here.)

• 7 bills were local bills; 5 were statewide
• Only 3 Senate bills were filed; the other 9 were House bills
• 4 bills were filed by Republicans; 8 by Democrats
• 3 of 4 bills filed by Republicans were filed by legislators serving their first term while the 4th “by request.” This is a designation legislators use to mean that they are filing the bill because they were officially asked to do so by a local government entity in their district.

BILLS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN 2010

• SB 455 SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY/SOME LEAS. Filed by Senator Snow (D-Cherokee). Local bill for Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties. Schools could not open before August 11 and must close no more than 291 days later.
  FATE: Not heard in committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• HB 483 SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY/SOME LEAS. Filed by Rep. Haire (D-Haywood). Local bill for Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties. Schools could not open before August 11 and must close no more than 291 days later.
  FATE: Motion failed to give a favorable report in House Local Government II Committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• SB 554 SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY/2 LEAs. Filed by Sen. Nesbitt (D-Buncombe). Local bill for Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools. Opening date could not be before the second Monday of August and closing no more than 42 weeks later.
  FATE: Not heard in committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• HB 547 SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY/3 LEAs. Filed by Rep. Guice (R-Henderson). Local bill for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania Counties. Opening date could not be before the second Monday of August and closing no more than 42 weeks later.
  FATE: Withdrawn by sponsor; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• HB 499 SCHOOL CALENDAR FLEXIBILITY/2 LEAs. Filed by Reps. Goforth, Fisher, Whilden, and Rapp (Ds-Buncombe). Local bill for Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools. Opening date could not be before the second Monday of August and closing no more than 42 weeks later.
  FATE: Motion failed to give a favorable report in House Local Government II Committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• HB 931 MODIFY SCHOOL CALENDAR LAW/SURRY COUNTY LEAs. Filed by Reps. Stevens and McCormick (Rs-Surry). Local bill for Elkin City, Mount Airy City and Surry County School Systems. Schools could not open more than five days prior to the starting date of the fall term at Surry Community College as established by its board of trustees. June 10 closing date would remain the same.
  FATE: Motion failed to give a favorable report in House Local Government II Committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• HB 1001 MODIFY SCHOOL CALENDAR LAW/3 COUNTY LEAs. Filed by Rep. Burr (R-Stanly). Local bill for Union, Stanly and Montgomery Counties. Opening date could not be before the second Monday of August and closing date would remain June 10.
  FATE: Motion failed to give a favorable report in House Local Government II Committee; not eligible for 2010 session.
  
  
• SB 478 MODIFY SCHOOL CALENDAR LAW. Filed by Sen. East (R-Surry) by request. Public statewide bill. Strikes all language related to opening and closing dates, giving local school systems total flexibility in setting their own calendars. Leaves in place the five teacher workday reduction and the protection of five teacher workdays for in-the-classroom work.
  FATE: Not heard in committee, not eligible for 2010.
  
  
• HB 1177 RESTORE FLEXIBILITY TO THE SCHOOL CALENDAR. Filed by Rep. Bell (D-Sampson). Public statewide bill. Would move opening date to August 18 and leave closing date at June 10. Would re-write waiver language to say no school receiving a waiver could open before August 10, but would allow system-wide waivers to be granted for a list of purposes that would apply to every school system in the state. Leaves in place the five teacher workday reduction but removes the protection of five teacher workdays for in-the-classroom work.
  FATE: Not heard in committee, not eligible for 2010.
  
  
• HB 1306 RESTORE FLEXIBILITY TO SCHOOL CALENDAR. Filed by Rep. Carney (D-Mecklenberg). Study bill. Originally was a bill that struck through all language related to opening and closing dates and added back the five teacher workdays removed in 2004. In the Education Committee, became a bill to instruct the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee to study the impact of the school calendar law on early college and dual enrollment and its impact on student achievement. The bill passed the House Education Committee overwhelmingly and was re-referred to the House Rules Committee. The study did not make it into the 2009 Studies Bill, which contains all legislative studies.
  FATE: Passed House Education, eligibility not applicable.