HR and Licensure Updates��PANC – October 9, 2023��Thomas Tomberlin, Senior Director�Educator Preparation, Licensure, and Performance

LICN-001

• Adding Teaching Area to a Clear License
• Renewal Requirements to Convert a CPL to Lifetime License

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Adding Teaching Area

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1.20f Adding Teaching Area

Define clear license:

�A clear teaching license is either a continuing professional license (CPL) or an initial professional license (IPL) with coursework requirements completed.

A teaching license may not be added to any of the following license types: Permit to Teach, Emergency, Limited, Provisional, Residency License, CTE-restricted (except as allowed by the CTE Licensure Manual), or International Faculty.

A teaching license may not be added to an instructional support license or an administrative license unless the licensee also holds an IPL or CPL in a teaching area.

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1.20f Adding Teaching Area

Clarify that individual must complete one of the following options to add an additional teaching area:

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• completing an NCSBE-approved Educator Preparation Program in the additional area, or;

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• satisfying NCSBE-required exams for the additional area, or;

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• completing 24 semester hours in the subject area with a grade of C or better in each course, or;�
• earning a rating of at least “Advanced Low” proficiency on the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Test, and, if available, the Writing Proficiency Test, or, if the language is American Sign Language (ASL), by earning a rating of at least “Advanced” proficiency on The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) (World Languages content areas only).
• NOTE: For a teaching area that does not have a NCSBE-required exam, the individual must complete one of the above options to add-on the additional teaching area to the clear teaching license. 

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Lifetime License

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2.10 Lifetime License

Provide clarity to the field around the renewal requirements prior to converting a Continuing Professional License (CPL) to a Lifetime License

An individual, who plans to convert his/her continuing professional license (CPL) to a lifetime license, will not be required to complete continuing education credits (CEUs) for the renewal period immediately preceding the conversion to a lifetime license. If the individual fails to meet the requirements to hold a lifetime license, the individual's license shall expire and the required CEUs must be completed in advance of reinstating the license.

*Note – although lifetime licenses do not require CEUs, PSUs have the discretion to require professional learning activities of lifetime license holders as a condition of employment.

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Advanced Teaching Roles

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G.S. 115C-311(b)

• Request for Proposal. – By September 15, 2020, and annually thereafter, the State Board of Education shall issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the program. Local boards of education shall submit their proposals by October 15. (October 13, 2023)
• Advanced Teaching Roles Designation. – Any local board of education that is selected to participate in the program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section shall designate participating schools within the unit as "Advanced Teaching Roles" schools. Advanced Teaching Roles schools shall receive class size flexibility subject to subsection (i) of this section and budget flexibility subject to subsection (j) of this section.

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Session Law 2023-134

• Notwithstanding G.S. 115C-311, to the extent funds are made available for this purpose, the State Board of Education shall award funds to local school administrative units for annual salary supplements for teachers in accordance with this section. Advanced Teaching Roles units shall designate up to fifteen percent (15%) of the teachers in each Advanced Teaching Roles school as adult leadership teachers and five percent (5%) of the teachers in each Advanced Teaching Roles school as classroom excellence teachers. Advanced Teaching Roles units shall provide salary supplements for those teachers as follows:
• (1) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for adult leadership teachers.
• (2) Three thousand dollars ($3,000) for classroom excellence teachers.

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Funding Logistics

• Funding for current ATR programs in the 2023-2024 academic year will be available after the budget is certified. ATR districts should monitor PRC 022 for the disbursement of funds.
• At this time, NCDPI has not created a plan for the adult leadership/classroom excellence salary supplements.

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Teacher Working Conditions

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TWC Revisions

• NCDPI is working on revisions to the TWC survey.
• Goal is to reduce the number of items while still maintaining the information available from the survey.
• Eliminate redundant or duplicative items
• Modify response choices for easier use
• Improve the delivery system to NC public schools

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Educator Licenses

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Residency Licenses - Section 1.60

• Individuals who hold, or previously held, an RL are not eligible for a Permit to Teach or Emergency License.
• Individuals who did not fulfill the requirements of a prior lateral entry license may be issued an RL if they pass the required content exams.
• RL timeline (3 years) is from the issue date, not the years of employment.
• RL candidates may convert to an IPL or CPL upon meeting all requirements, including testing, at the time of conversion.

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Residency Licenses - Section 1.60

• At the request of an employing LEA, an additional RL licensure area may be added to an existing RL.
• All requirements to convert an RL to an IPL or CPL must be completed before the expiration of the second RL renewal.
• Individuals who previously held an RL or LE license may request an RL in a different teaching area without passing the content examination(s) prior to application.
• RLs are issued only at the A-level and may be awarded experience and/or grad pay in compliance with LICN-006.

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Other Licenses

• Regardless of the date of issuance, Permits to Teach and Emergency Licenses shall be valid until June 30^th of the fiscal year in which it was requested.
• Individuals who previously held a lateral entry license may apply for a limited license provided all coursework has been completed.

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State of the Teaching Profession Report

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Data Collection

• Attrition/Mobility data collection has been completed.
• Vacancy data collection is currently in process. Vacancy data is collected on 1^st and 40^th instructional day.
• The appropriations bill includes attrition and mobility data on school administrators.
• For this year’s reporting, NCDPI will use payroll data for this analysis.

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Micro-Credentials

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MCs in North Carolina

• digiLEARN is partnering with NC State Board of Education to investigate the use of MCs as a tool for teacher retention and development.
• In general, MCs are a professional learning tool that focuses on demonstration of the participants’ learning rather than the mode of instruction.
• Competency vs. Time
• Multiple states are working on quality standards for MCs.

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Military Connected Provisions

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Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022

• Allows military members or spouses, under military orders in NC, to use an out of state educator license in good standing.
• The applicant is not issued a NC educator license but is granted authorization to be paid on the teacher salary scale.
• Salary authorization remains in effect until military orders expire or June 30^th of that same year, whichever is later.
• No application in online licensure system. Materials for eligible applicants should be uploaded to HR Secure Shell and notification sent to Tom Tomberlin.

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Prioritization of Military Connected Licensure Applications

• There is no method of identification of MC in the online licensure system.
• Applicants can upload documentation of MC as supporting documentation for the application.
• PSUs should work with their employees to identify MC. PSUs should notify their RALC of an applicant’s MC status and request prioritization.

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Paid Parental Leave

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Definitions

• Public School Unit (PSU) – includes local boards of education, public charter schools, laboratory schools, schools for the deaf and blind, and all alternative school environments under the direction of a PSU.
• Parent – the legal guardian or custodiam of a child through birth, adoption, foster care, or other legal placement.
• Child – a newborn biological child or newly place adopted, foster, or otherwise legally placed child under the age of 18.
• Qualifying Event – when an eligible employee becomes a parent to a child.
• Paid Parental Leave – 8 weeks of paid leave for birthing parent; 4 weeks for all other qualifying events. Part-time limited to 4 weeks for birthing parent and 2 weeks for other qualifying events.

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Paid Parental Leave

Section 8.1.3 Eligibility

A permanent, probationary, or time-limited full-time PSU employee who becomes a parent to a child under the age of 18 years by birth, adoption or placement in foster care may take the following paid parental leave:

• Up to eight weeks of paid leave after giving birth to a child; or
• Up to four weeks of paid leave after any other qualifying event.

A permanent, probationary, or time-limited part-time employee may take a prorated amount of paid leave after giving birth. Part-time employees receive the same amount of leave as full-time employees. Employees who work less than full-time hours will receive compensation for paid parental leave based on the percentage of the total wages for that job that reflects the actual time worked.

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Documentation

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Leave Usage

• Leave is limited to the twelve months following the qualifying event. Multiple births (or placements) do not increase the total amount of the leave.
• Unused paid parental leave is forfeited twelve months form the date of qualifying event.
• Parental paid leave shall not be counted against or deducted from the employee’s leave balances
• Employees shall not be paid out for this leave upon separation from employer.
• Paid parental leave may not be donated to another employee.

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Leave Usage

• A PSU shall not deny, delay, or require intermittent us of paid parental leave to eligible employees, except by agreement of the employee.
• If delayed, PSU must provide paid parental leave as soon as practical.
• If parental leave is used intermittently, the use must be agreeable to the eligible employee.
• Paid parental leave may be used only once by an eligible employee within a rolling 12-month period.

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Service Requirements

• Periods of leave without pay, as provided for in other sections of this manual, shall not constitute a break in service, provided the employee meets the 1,040- hour pay status requirement.
• Any period in which the employee was absent due to military service in the Armed Forces of the United States shall not constitute a break in service.

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Service Requirements

• For the purposes of establishing eligibility for paid parental leave a public-school unit employee shall, at the time of the qualifying event, have met the 12-month employment requirement (and 1,040 hours) in any North Carolina PSU, NC state agency, or other public entity providing paid parental leave under G.S. 126-8.6, with the exception of charter schools that opt not to provide paid parental leave.
• State Board Legal Office is working on a rule that will allow transitions between employers without violating break in service requirements.

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Other Considerations

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Other Considerations

• Paid parental leave is in addition to all other parental benefits offered by the State.
• Paid parental leave runs concurrently with FMLA provided the employer notifies the employee that the leave qualifies for FMLA leave in accordance with Section 8.2.10 of the Benefits Manual. Employee may take paid parental leave after exhausting FMLA.
• Employees may take parental leave benefits in any order provided they meet the requirements for using the leave at the time of request. Regardless of the order of leave options, parental leave is a FMLA qualifying event and will count against the employee’s FMLA benefit entitlement.
• Paid parental leave is only afforded to eligible employees for a child born on or after July 1, 2023, regardless of date of adoption or legal placement.
• This policy will become effective for qualifying events occurring on or after July 1, 2023.

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Selected FAQs

• Does PPL compensate employees who regularly work overtime hours? No. PPL only provides paid leave for an employee’s regular working hours (up to 40 hours per week). In no case can PPL be used to compensate an employee in excess of 40 hours per week.
• Can a PSU require an employee to use PPL at a certain time (e.g., immediately following the birth or placement of a child)? No. Employees may use PPL at any time during the 12 months following the birth or placement of a child. Additionally, employees may request their PPL in conjunction with any other, existing leave offerings available to a new parent. In all cases, the employee must meet the eligibility requirements for using leave at the time the leave is taken.

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Selected FAQs

• Are surrogate, or gestational carriers, eligible for paid parental leave? Possibly, but not always. Paid Parental Leave is available to employees who become parents (or legal guardians) as the result of a qualifying event (birth or legal placement of a child). If an employee gives birth to a child but is not the legal parent or guardian of the child at the time of birth, then she would not be eligible for paid parental leave. The employee would, however, be eligible to use 30 days of sick leave following the birth for the recuperation period (or more if prescribed by a medical professional). An employee who becomes a parent but does not give birth to the child (i.e., a surrogate gave birth to the child and the employee becomes the child’s legal parent immediately upon birth) is eligible for 4 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Can an employee use paid parental leave in advance of birth if a medical professional prescribes leave from work (e.g., bed rest)? No. Paid parental leave may only be used after the qualifying event (birth or placement). An employee would need to use his/her own available leave to maintain pay status during a period of illness or injury that precedes the qualifying event.

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Questions

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