STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE
SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

COUNTY OF WAKE

95-CVS-1158

HOKE COUNTY BOARD OF
EDUCATION; HALIFAX COUNTY
BOARD OF EDUCATION; ROBESON
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION;
CUMBERLAND COUNTY BOARD OF
EDUCATION; VANCE COUNTY BOARD
OF EDUCATION; RANDY L. HASTY,
individually and as Guardian Ad Litem of
RANDELL B. HASTY; STEVEN R.
SUNKEL, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of ANDREW J. SUNKEL; LIONEL
WHIDBEE, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of JEREMY L. WHIDBEE; TYRONE
T. WILLIAMS, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of TREVELYN L. WILLIAMS; D.E.
LOCKLEAR, JR., individually and as Guardian
Ad Litem of JASON E. LOCKLEAR; ANGUS
B. THOMPSON II, individually and as
Guardian Ad Litem of VANDALIAH J.
THOMPSON; MARY ELIZABETH
LOWERY, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of LANNIE RAE LOWERY, JENNIE
G. PEARSON, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of SHARESE D. PEARSON; BENITA
B. TIPTON, individually and as Guardian Ad
Litem of WHITNEY B. TIPTON; DANA
HOLTON JENKINS, individually and as
Guardian Ad Litem of RACHEL M.
JENKINS; LEON R. ROBINSON,
individually and as Guardian Ad Litem of
JUSTIN A. ROBINSON,
Plaintiffs,
and
CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG BOARD
OF EDUCATION,
Plaintiff-Intervenor,
and

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 RAFAEL PENN; CLIFTON JONES,
individually and as Guardian Ad Litem of
CLIFTON MATTHEW JONES; DONNA
JENKINS DAWSON, individually and as
Guardian Ad Litem of NEISHA SHEMAY
DAWSON and TYLER ANTHONY
HOUGH-JENKINS,
Plaintiff-Intervenors,
v.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA and the
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION,
Defendants,
and
CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG BOARD
OF EDUCATION,
Realigned Defendant.

JOINT REPORT TO THE COURT ON SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR ALL:
FISCAL YEAR 2021 ACTION PLAN FOR NORTH CAROLINA
The Supreme Court of North Carolina’s landmark decision in Leandro v. State of North Carolina (1997) affirmed
the fundamental right of every child to have the opportunity to receive a sound basic education. Despite
significant efforts since this decision, and the subsequent ruling in Hoke County Board of Education v. State of
North Carolina (2004), this constitutional right has been and continues to be denied to many North Carolina
children.
On January 21, 2020, with the benefit of the findings, research, and recommendations of WestEd’s report,
Sound Basic Education for All: An Action Plan for North Carolina, and the Governor’s Commission on Access to
Sound Basic Education, Judge W. David Lee signed a Consent Order negotiated by the NC State Board of
Education (NC SBE); the Office of the Governor and NC Department of Justice (representing the State); the
Plaintiff school districts; and the Plaintiff-Intervenors. Acknowledging WestEd’s research, Judge Lee noted,
“North Carolina's PreK-12 public education system leaves too many students behind, especially students of
color and economically disadvantaged students. As a result, thousands of students are not being prepared for
full participation in the global, interconnected economy and the society in which they will live, work, and
engage as citizens.”
Pursuant to the order, which required the submission of a status report setting out the “Specific actions that
the State Defendants must implement in 2020 to begin to address the issues identified by WestEd,” the

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 Parties immediately began developing an eight-year Plan that will detail the actions and investments necessary
to ensure a sound basic education for all children, including specific goals to be achieved by 2030.1
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: IMPACTS & RESPONSE
While work was ongoing, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and dramatically altered the landscape for our
students, schools, state, and nation.
With schools closed across North Carolina, the pandemic has further exacerbated many of the inequities and
challenges that are the focus of the Leandro case, particularly for the at-risk students2 who were the focus of
the original Leandro rulings, including students of color, English Language Learners, and economically
disadvantaged students. While all children have experienced significant disruption or trauma, the pandemic’s
public health, economic, and educational costs are disproportionately borne by Black, Latino, Native, and
low-income North Carolinians, and the initial Leandro remedy implementation must prioritize providing
resources for those students.
The food insecurity impacting too many children in North Carolina has been expanded by this crisis and has
required an emergency response. Schools, districts, and communities are working hard to provide nutritious
meals and other essential services during school closures. The pandemic and resulting school closure have
also compounded the problems confronting children who are homeless, lacking health care or mental health
services, disconnected, or facing other challenges. School may be the only place where many children feel
safe. For many students in eastern NC, this is the third lengthy closure caused by a natural disaster in the past
four years. Some students have already lost more than half a year of face-to-face instruction over the last four
years of their educational career. The lack of consistent access to broadband internet and reliable digital
devices limit many students’ ability to take advantage of even the limited remote learning opportunities
available to students while schools are closed.
The General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed a series of bills in May 2020 intended to help address
the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the State’s residents. At the request of the NC State Board of
Education and the Governor, these bills included the investment of federal Coronavirus Relief Funds from
the CARES Act to support K-12 students during the crisis and to help K-12 public schools prepare to meet
students’ needs during the 2020-21 academic year. These funds are not intended to address the historical and
unmet needs of children who are being denied the opportunity for a sound basic education, but will help to
mitigate the unavoidable loss of educational opportunities caused by the pandemic. The funds included:

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$75 million to support the school nutrition program to provide meals for at-risk students and
families;
$70 million to provide summer learning opportunities for students who are below grade level;
$15 million to support school districts in providing extended year services or future services for
students with disabilities who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis;
$30 million to purchase computers or other electronic devices so students can participate in remote
learning; and
$12 million to purchase devices to provide internet connectivity to students so they can participate in
remote learning.

The Leandro Plan will include actions to be implemented over eight years (by 2028), with the goal that those actions will
provide the opportunity for a sound basic education to all children in or before 2030.
2
The Court defined at-risk students as including students with one of the following characteristics: from a low-income
family; participate in free or reduced-cost lunch programs; have parents with low-level education; show limited
proficiency in English; are a member of racial or ethnic minority group; or live in a home headed by a single parent or
guardian. Hoke County Board of Education v. State, 358 N.C. 605, 632, 637 (2004) (“Leandro II”).
1

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 The economic costs of the pandemic have substantially altered the fiscal outlook for the State. When the
Parties began work on the Action Plan in January 2020, North Carolina’s unemployment rate was at its lowest
level in 10 years and the state was forecasting a significant revenue surplus and already had a budget surplus
of over $2 billion dollars. Today, given dramatically rising unemployment, declining tax revenues, and
unanticipated health care costs, the May 2020 consensus General Fund revenue forecast projects a $4.2
billion reduction in revenues as a result of the pandemic -- $1.6 billion less in FY 2019-20 (-6.6%) and $2.6
billion less in FY 2020-21 (-9.9%).
THE LEANDRO REMEDIAL PLAN: ACTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021
The Parties have identified action steps the State can and will take in Fiscal Year 2021 (2020-21). The Parties
intended that the Leandro remedial Plan would be “front loaded” to propel the significant systemic changes
recommended by WestEd and the Governor’s Commission and adopted by this Court. The COVID-19
pandemic required revising that strategy. However ,the Parties submit that these limited action steps, which
are a part of the broader, comprehensive eight-year action Plan, will begin to both address the key issues
highlighted in the Leandro ruling and assist schools and school districts in mitigating the disproportionate
impact the pandemic and resulting school closures have had on at-risk students.
In addition to undertaking these action steps, it is vital that the State does not reduce funding commitments
to K-12 public education and early childhood education and developmental supports. The challenges created
by the COVID-19 pandemic must not result in the State falling further behind in its efforts to meet the
constitutional standard for all children in North Carolina, particularly at-risk students. Drawing upon
WestEd’s research and the Commission’s recommendations, these Fiscal Year 2021 action steps are aligned
with the seven key areas outlined in Judge Lee’s January 2020 order:
1. A system of teacher development and recruitment that ensures each classroom is staffed with a highquality teacher who is supported with early and ongoing professional learning and provided
competitive pay.
2. A system of principal development and recruitment that ensures each school is led by a high-quality
principal who is supported with early and ongoing professional learning and provided competitive
pay;
3. A finance system that provides adequate, equitable, and predictable funding to school districts and,
importantly, adequate resources to address the needs of all North Carolina schools and students,
especially at-risk students as defined by the Leandro decisions;
4. An assessment and accountability system that reliably assesses multiple measures of student
performance against the Leandro standard and provides accountability consistent with the Leandro
standard;
5. An assistance and turnaround function that provides necessary support to low-performing schools
and districts;
6. A system of early education that provides access to high-quality prekindergarten and other early
childhood learning opportunities to ensure that all students at-risk of educational failure, regardless
of where they live in the State, enter kindergarten on track for school success; and
7. An alignment of high school to postsecondary and career expectations, as well as the provision of
early postsecondary and workforce learning opportunities, to ensure student readiness to all students
in the State.
In addition to these Fiscal Year 2021 action steps, the Parties are developing longer term action steps the
State will take that will comprise the comprehensive eight-year Action Plan for meeting the Leandro mandate.
Though the course and consequences of the pandemic have materially altered the Parties’ abilities to predict
both the long term needs and costs of additional educational opportunities, the Parties are committed to
presenting the full action Plan to the Court before the end of 2020.

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 The eight-year Plan that the Parties will ultimately submit to the Court will be organized as a series of actions
and the discrete, individual action steps to be taken to achieve the overarching action. Each action will be
aligned to the seven key areas outlined in the Court’s January 2020 order and will have a corresponding goal
that the State and NC State Board of Education (NC SBE) intend to achieve by 2028, with the full
educational benefits of these measures realized by 2030.
Detailed below are the actions the State and NC SBE are committed to taking in the first year (Fiscal Year
2021) of the eight-year Plan. Each of the overarching actions and corresponding 2030 goals for the full eightyear Plan are detailed in Appendix.
The parties agree that the Actions outlined in this Plan are the necessary and appropriate actions needed in
Fiscal Year 2021 to begin to adequately address the constitutional violations in providing the opportunity for
a sound basic education to all children in North Carolina. It is the intent of the State to complete the actions
outlined in this Plan in Fiscal Year 2021. Consistent with the Court’s Order, the Parties have identified the
State actors and agencies, including the General Assembly, whose direct involvement, cooperation, and
assistance are necessary to implement the specific actions described in this report. The Parties agree to make
their best efforts to secure the involvement, cooperation, and assistance of those entities. As of June 15,
2020, the State does not have a clear picture of what state or federal funds will be available. If due to budget
constraints the State is not able to fulfill these actions in Fiscal Year 2021, then the State commits to meeting
these actions in a future fiscal year of the eventual eight-year Plan.
For Fiscal Year 2021, the action steps detailed below will require an additional State investment of
$426,990,610. For all action steps identified, the State and the NC SBE are committed to prioritizing the
allocation of resources to serving the highest needs students, schools, and school districts.
I.

Qualified and Well-Prepared Teacher in Every Classroom: The following actions address “a
system of teacher development and recruitment that ensures each classroom is staffed with a highquality teacher who is supported with early and ongoing professional learning and provided
competitive pay.” The initial action steps will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 through
an additional State investment of $237,700,000.
A. Increase the pipeline of diverse, well-prepared teachers by expanding the North
Carolina Teaching Fellows program.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Increase the number of eligible teacher preparation programs from the
current 5 to 8 to include high quality programs that serve additional regions
of the state and to include minority-serving universities.
2. Increase funding to support up to 250 Teaching Fellows for the 2021-22
academic year (90 additional Fellows).
3. Expand eligible certification areas beyond STEM and special education to
address significant vacancies.
4. Provide planning, training, and ongoing support for program leaders and
Fellows, including training on topics such as culturally responsive teaching,
teaching students with disabilities, and trauma-informed teaching.
5. Expand the reduced payback period to Fellows who teach in high-poverty
schools, not just schools that are low performing, to incentivize Fellows to
teach in those schools.
6. Develop targeted recruitment strategies to improve opportunities for
talented minority candidates. to be Teaching Fellows.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC
Teaching Fellows Commission, University of North Carolina, NC Independent
Colleges and Universities

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 iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $1,000,000
B. Significantly increase the racial and ethnic diversity of North Carolina’s qualified and
well-prepared teacher workforce and ensure all teachers employ culturally responsive
practices.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Develop a plan of actions by January 2021 that the State will take to
increase the racial and ethnic diversity of qualified and well-prepared
teachers through the work of Governor Cooper’s DRIVE Task Force.
2. The State Board of Education will monitor, review, coordinate, and
implement programs and efforts to increase teacher diversity.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC Office of the Governor, NC State Board of Education,
NC Department of Public Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
C. Provide high-quality comprehensive mentoring and induction support for novice
teachers in their first three years of teaching to increase both their effectiveness and
their retention.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Provide comprehensive induction services through the NC New Teacher
Support Program to 300 additional beginning teachers in low-performing,
high-poverty schools. State will provide funding for full cost of the
program ($5,000 per teacher) for these 300 additional beginning teachers.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC New
Teacher Support Program, NC school districts
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $1,500,000
D. Implement differentiated staffing models that include advanced teaching roles and
additional compensation to retain and extend the reach of high-performing teachers.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Create a permanent Advanced Teaching Roles program that will allow all
interested districts to apply for one-time startup funds.
2. Provide grants through current funding to a select number of additional
districts to implement an Advanced Teaching Roles initiative.
3. Provide class size waivers and other flexibility as necessary to successfully
implement career pathways through the Advanced Teaching Roles
program.
4. Enable school districts to study the effectiveness of salary supplements and
other aligned compensation models that support the implementation of
advanced teaching roles.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC State Board of Education, NC
Department of Public Instruction, NC school districts
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Funded for FY2021 at $1,000,000
E. Increase educator compensation and create compensation incentives to enable lowwealth districts to attract and retain qualified and well-prepared teachers.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Raise salaries for teachers and instructional support staff by an average of
5%.
2. Conduct a North Carolina-specific wage comparability study to determine
competitive pay for educators in comparison to professions that require
similar education and credentials, and to identify the level of compensation
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 and other specific State, regional, and local salary actions required to attract,
recruit, and retain high-quality educators, particularly to low-wealth districts
and high-poverty schools. Study will be completed by June 30, 2021. Study
findings will be used to establish a benchmark for educator salary raises
over the next seven years of Leandro implementation.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs:
1. Educator salary increases - $235,000,000
2. Wage comparability study - $200,000 (non-recurring)
II.

A Qualified and Well-Prepared Principal in Every School: The following actions address “a
system of principal development and recruitment that ensures each school is led by a high-quality
principal who is supplied with early and ongoing professional learning and provided competitive
pay.” These initial action steps will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 with no new State
investments.
A. Update the State’s school administrator preparation and principal licensure
requirements to align program approval standards with effectiveness practices.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Complete the update of the State’s school administrator preparation
standards so they align with the NELP standards. Revised standards will be
piloted during the 2020-21 school year.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC State Board of Education, NC Department of Public
Instruction, University of North Carolina, NC Independent Colleges and
Universities
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
B. Continue to expand access to high-quality principal preparation programs.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Complete expansion of the TP3 Program to 3 additional postsecondary
institutions while maintaining high standards for participating programs and
the paid internship requirement.
ii. Responsible Parties: Principal Fellows/TP3 Commission, NC Department of
Public Instruction, University of North Carolina, NC Independent Colleges and
Universities
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
C. Expand professional learning opportunities for current principals and assistant
principals.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. By December 2020, develop a plan, to be implemented in the next Phase of
the overall Leandro Plan, for the creation of a School Leadership Academy
that provides mentoring, coaching, professional development, and ongoing
support.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC Office of the Governor, NC State Board of Education
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding

III.

A Finance System that Provides Adequate, Equitable, and Efficient Resources: The following
actions address “a finance system that provides adequate, equitable, and predictable funding to
school districts and, importantly, adequate resources to address the needs of all North Carolina
schools and students, especially at-risk-students as defined by the Leandro decisions.” These initial

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 action steps will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 through an additional State
investment of $144,876,975.
A. Revise the State’s school funding formula so that current and additional funding is
distributed to students with the greatest need.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Remove 12.75 percent funding cap for students with disabilities to provide
supplemental funding for all students with disabilities at the current formula
rate. In the long-term, increase supplemental funding to be equivalent to 2.3
times the cost of an average student and revise formula to differentiate
based on level of support. When fully implemented in FY 2028, the total
estimated cost of this action will be $460,732,524.
2. Incrementally increase funding for Disadvantaged Student Supplemental
Funding (DSSF) allotment with the goal of increasing DSSF funding over
the long-term to be equivalent to 0.4 times the cost of an average student.
Eliminate current restriction that allows districts to only devote a maximum
of 35 percent of their DSSF allotment to salary supplements. When fully
implemented in FY 2028, the total estimated cost of this action will be
$1,129,583,297.
3. Remove the 10.6 percent funding cap and the minimum funding eligibility
for LEA/charter schools for the Limited English Proficiency allotment.
Provide $906 per identified Limited English Proficiency student based on
the 3-year average headcount of the LEA/charter school. Per-student
dollar amounts would be adjusted annually for salary and benefit changes
and any direct appropriations.
4. Transfer the At-Risk Student Services/Alternative Schools allotment
funding into the DSSF allotment, provided that no district receives a
decrease in combined funding; expand allowable uses of the DSSF
allotment to incorporate activities allowed under the current at-risk
allotment.3
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC State
Board of Education, NC Department of Public Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs:
1. Students with Disabilities - $39,817,504
2. Disadvantaged Students Supplemental Fund - $60,000,000
3. Limited English Proficiency students - $8,059,471
B. Increase Local Education Agency (LEA) budgetary flexibility by lifting restrictions
on critical allotments through the ABC transfer system.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Allow transfers to or from the following allotment categories:
 Academically & Intellectually Gifted
 At Risk Student Services/Alternative Schools
 Children with Disabilities
 Classroom Materials, Supplies and Equipment
 Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funding
 Cooperative Innovative High Schools
 Limited English Proficiency
This reallocated funding must be counted as an independent supplement in addition to the DSSF funding described
above, and not supplant those identified funds. No school district will receive a decrease in this combined funding.
3

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  Low Wealth Supplemental Funding
 Position/MOE Allotments
 Non-Instructional Support
 Small County Supplemental Funding
 Textbooks
 Transportation
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC State Board of Education, NC
Department of Public Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: N/A
C. Increase flexible funding for Student Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) to meet
the academic, physical, and mental health needs of students and to ensure that
schools are safe and supportive learning environments.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Incrementally increase funding for whole-child supports through positional
funding that increases the number of SISP (school counselors, nurses,
social workers, and psychologists) to begin to meet national guidelines,
initially prioritizing high-poverty schools. Provide school districts
appropriate flexibility in SISP position allotments so that they may
strategically hire SISP staff to best meet the needs of their students. When
fully implemented in FY 2028, the total estimated cost of this action will be
$743,396,806
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $40,000,000 ($3,000,000 currently funded for FY 2021)
IV.

An Assessment and Accountability System that Reliably Assesses Multiple Measures of
Student Performance: The following actions address “an assessment and accountability system that
reliably assesses multiple measures of student performance against the Leandro standard and provides
accountability consistent with the Leandro standard.” These initial action steps will be
implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 with no new State investments.
A. Establish a more balanced and student-centered assessment system.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Expand the use of NC Check-Ins in grades 3-8 to additional school districts
and schools by June 30, 2021.
2. Better align the Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) with birth through
third grade and rename the KEA the Early Learning Inventory (ELI).
3. Launch the Innovative Assessment Demonstration pilot approved by the
US Department of Education in 16 districts and charters to evaluate the
feasibility and effectiveness to utilizing through-course formative
assessment results to streamline and personalize a student’s summative
assessment.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC State Board of Education, NC Department of Public
Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
B. Include additional assessment item types that provide a broader understanding of
students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. During the 2020-21 school year, develop a plan for piloting the use of
additional item types (i.e., constructed-response, extended-response, and/

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 or performance-based assessment items) in NC Check-Ins during the 202122 school year in grade 4 math and grade 7 reading. The pilot will include
low-performing schools in low-wealth districts and low-performing, high
poverty schools across the state.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC State Board of Education, NC Department of Public
Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
C. Amend the current accountability model to include measures of progress toward
providing all students with the opportunity to obtain a sound, basic education.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Adopt a coherent and singular definition of proficiency, aligning grade-level
expectations and college- and career-ready expectations, to provide
stakeholders with consistent and actionable measures of student progress
and proficiency and to maintain high expectations of all students consistent
with the rulings in this case.
2. Revise the current weighting between student proficiency and student
growth for the School Performance Grades.
3. Include additional measures of student success (per the ESSA definition) in
the State’s accountability system.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC State Board of Education, NC
Department of Public Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
D. Amend the current annual school report cards to include additional demographic
information on students and staff.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Develop a plan for including on annual school report cards school-level
information on the race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other
demographic information of all students, staff, students identified for
exceptional children services, and students participating in advanced
learning opportunities.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC State Board of Education, NC Department of Public
Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Achievable within existing funding
V.

An Assistance and Turnaround Function that Provides Necessary Support to LowPerforming Schools and Districts: The following actions address “an assistance and turnaround
function that provides necessary support to low-performing schools and districts.” These initial
action steps will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 through an additional State
investment of $4,375,000.
A. Develop the State’s capacity to fully support the improvement of its lowestperforming schools and districts.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. By June 30, 2021, fully implement the NC State Board of Education’s
regional support model to support the improvement of low performing and
high poverty schools by providing support in needed content areas and
instructional and leadership coaching.
2. By June 30, 2021, develop and initiate a plan to provide direct,
comprehensive, and progressive turnaround assistance to the State’s
chronically low performing schools and low performing districts.

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 ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC State
Board of Education, NC Department of Public Instruction
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs:
1. Regional support model - $4,375,000
2. Plan for turnaround assistance to low-performing schools - Achievable
within existing funding
VI.

A System of Early Education that Provides Access to High-Quality Prekindergarten and
Other Early Childhood Learning Opportunities: The following actions address “a system of
early education that provides access to high-quality pre-kindergarten and other early childhood
learning opportunities to ensure that all students at-risk of educational failure, regardless of where
they live in the State, enter kindergarten on track for school success.” These initial action steps
will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21 through an additional State investment of
$35,650,000.
A. Expand the NC Pre-K program to provide high-quality, full-year services to all atrisk 4-year-old children.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Increase State funding per NC Pre-K slot with the goal of paying 100
percent of the actual cost by 2028. Funding in 2020 will increase the
average state rate per slot by $200 and the county administrator rate will
increase to 10 percent for oversight, monitoring, enrollment, and support.
When fully implemented in FY 2028, the total estimated cost of this action
will be $421,023,290.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC
Department of Health and Human Services
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $10,500,000
B. Increase high-quality early learning opportunities for at-risk children from birth
through age three.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Implement a feasibility and cost study for a high-quality early learning
program for birth through age 3 modeled on NC Pre-K to be completed by
June 2022.
2. Implement a study to develop alternative approaches to NC’s current
market rate model used to determine child care subsidy reimbursement
rates to support high-quality early learning to be completed by June 2022.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC Department of Health and Human Services
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Grant funded for FY 2021
C. Expand the NC Infant-Toddler Program to provide high-quality early intervention
services for children with special needs and increase access to services.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Over the 2020-21 fiscal year, add up to 45 additional staff at the state and
local level, interpreter services, a centralized provider network system, salary
adjustments to address recruitment and retention, and professional
development to strengthen infrastructure and services provided through the
NC Infant-Toddler Program/Early Intervention services.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC
Department of Health and Human Services
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $7,000,000 (recurring); $650,000 (non-recurring)

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 D. Incrementally scale up the Smart Start program to increase quality, access, and
support for at-risk children and families.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Increase funding for Smart Start with the goal of providing funding to meet
25 percent of the defined need for children aged birth to five by 2028.
When fully implemented in FY 2028, the total estimated cost of this action
will be $532,000,000.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC
Department of Health and Human Services, NC Partnership for Children
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $10,000,000

E. Increase the volume and quality of the early childhood educator pipeline.

i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021:
1. Expand funding to provide educational attainment-based salary
supplements to teachers in early learning programs serving children from
birth to age five, prioritizing teachers in programs in high poverty school
districts. This effort will increase retention and education among early
childhood educators through the Child Care WAGE$ and the Infant
Toddler Educator AWARD$ programs and provide professional
development and other workforce supports.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor,

NC Department of Health and Human Services

iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $7,000,000
F. Ensure quality transitions and alignment from early childhood programs to K-3
classrooms and strengthen elementary schools’ readiness to support all children to
achieve early grade success.
i. Initial Action Step for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Implement a pilot program for prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers
to learn, plan, and work together with professional development focused on
formative assessment, family engagement, and developmentally appropriate
practices for young children:
 Allow families and prekindergarten teachers to systematically share
information about children’s strengths and needs with kindergarten
teachers through an electronic information-sharing platform for
the first time.
 Align the Kindergarten Entry Assessment (Early Learning
Inventory) with birth through third grade. The specific indicators
of learning and development within these domains align with a
subset of the indicators in the NC early learning standards and the
NC Standard Course of Study.
The pilot will prioritize the inclusion of teachers from rural and low-wealth
districts and from high-poverty schools across the State. The pilot will be
conducted over two school years, 2021-22 and 2022-23.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC Department of Health and Human Services, NC
Department of Public Instruction, NC Pre-K Programs, NC school districts
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: Grant funded for FY 2021
G. Facilitate reliable access to high quality data supporting early childhood education.
i. Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021

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12

 1. Fund and begin building a real-time early childhood education workforce
data system, including degrees, licensure, demographics, place of
employment, and wages. The system will be readily accessible and usable
for state and local users. Data system will be completed by June 2022.
ii. Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC
Department of Health and Human Services
iii. Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $500,000
VII.

Alignment of High School to Postsecondary and Career Expectations for All Students: The
following actions address “an alignment of high school to postsecondary and career· expectations, as well
as the provision of early postsecondary and workforce learning opportunities, to ensure student readiness
to all students in the State.” These initial action steps will be implemented in fiscal year 2020-21
through an additional State investment of $4,388,635.
A. Ensure students graduate prepared for college-level coursework.
i.
Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Provide funding for NROC subscription and professional development for
high school educators for College Career Ready Graduate courses in
collaboration with the NC Community College System.
ii.
Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC State
Board of Education, NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Community
College System
iii.
Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $551,500
B. Ensure all high school students have the option to complete high school courses
leading to college credit, an associate degree, or a career-ready credential.
i.
Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Provide funding for approved Cooperative Innovative High Schools.
2. Allow flexibility with school calendars to ensure local schools can align with
community college and university schedules.
ii.
Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, NC State
Board of Education, NC Department of Public Instruction
iii.
Fiscal Year 2021 Costs: $1,880,000
C. Strengthen college and career advising for high school students.
i.
Initial Action Steps for Fiscal Year 2021
1. Expand the NC Community College System Career Coaches program,
which places career coaches employed by local community colleges with
partnering high schools, prioritizing at-risk students.
2. Provide matching funds to the College Advising Corps to expand the
placement of college advisers in low wealth districts in North Carolina
public schools.
ii.
Responsible Parties: NC General Assembly, NC Office of the Governor, UNC
System, NC Community College System, College Advising Corps, NC school
districts
iii.
Fiscal Year 2021 Costs:
1. NC Community College System Career Coaches – Funded for FY 2021 for
$2,300,000
2. College Advising Corps - $1,957,135

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13

 Fiscal Year 2021: Cost Summary
A Qualified and Well-Prepared Teacher in Every Classroom
A Qualified and Well-Prepared Principal in Every School
A Finance System that Provides Adequate, Equitable, and Efficient Resources
An Assessment and Accountability System that Reliably Assesses Multiple Measures of
Student Performance
An Assistance and Turnaround Function that Provides Necessary Support to LowPerforming Schools and Districts
A System of Early Education that Provides Access to High-Quality Prekindergarten and
Other Early Childhood Learning Opportunities
Alignment of High School to Postsecondary and Career Expectations for All Students
Total Costs

FY 2021
COST1
$237,700,000
$0
$144,876,975
$0
$4,375,000
$35,650,000
$4,388,635
$426,990,610

___________________________
1All dollar amounts indicate additional funding required above current funding levels. N/A indicates that
there are no costs associated with this action step in 2021. Funded for FY 2021 indicates that funds have
currently been secured from federal, state, or private sources for fiscal year 2021.
The eighth critical area included in WestEd’s report is for the Court overseeing the Leandro case to identify a
mechanism to use data and information to monitor the State’s actions and progress in meeting the Leandro
requirements. Using data in this way will ensure accountability and attention to continuous improvement of
education in the state, especially for at-risk students. As the State works to reopen schools and address the
many challenges of the COVID pandemic, it has become even more essential to know how at-risk students
are able to secure their constitutional right to a “sound basic education to prepare them for future success.”
Plaintiffs have retained WestEd to recommend the outcomes and metrics that should be monitored annually
and develop a recommended monitoring process for using data to assess compliance with the Leandro
requirements.
Respectfully submitted, this the 15th day of June.

/s/Matthew Tulchin
Matthew Tulchin
Special Deputy Attorney General
NC State Bar No. 43921
mtulchin@ncdoj.gov
/s/ Tiffany Lucas
Tiffany Lucas
Special Deputy Attorney General
N.C. State Bar No. 26237
NC Department of Justice
PO Box 629
Raleigh, NC 27602-0629
Tel: 919.716.6900

/s/ Mark Dorosin
Mark Dorosin
NC State Bar No. 20935
mdorosin@lawyerscommittee.org
/s/ Elizabeth Haddix
Elizabeth Haddix
NC State Bar No. 25818
ehaddix@lawyerscommittee.org
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
P.O. Box 956
Carrboro, NC 27510
Tel. 919.914.6106
Counsel for Penn Intervenors

Attorney for Defendant State Board of Education
6/15/20

14

 /s/ Amar Majmundar
Amar Majumundar
N.C. State Bar No. 24668
Senior Deputy Attorney General
NC Department of Justice
PO Box 629
Raleigh, NC 27602-0629
Tel: 919.716.6900
Fax: 919.716.6763
Attorney for Defendant State of North Carolina

/s/ Melanie Dubis
Melanie Black Dubis
N.C. Bar No. 22027
Scott E. Bayzle
N.C. Bar No. 33811
PARKER POE ADAMS & BERNSTEIN LLP
301 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1400 (27601)
P.O. Box 389
Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-0389
Telephone: (919) 828-0564
Facsimile: (919) 834-4564
E-mail: melaniedubis@parkerpoe.com
E-mail: scottbayzle@parkerpoe.com
/s/ Larry Armstrong
H. Lawrence Armstrong, Jr.
ARMSTRONG LAW, PLLC
119 Whitfield Street
Enfield, North Carolina 27823
Telephone: (252) 445-5656
E-mail: hla@hlalaw.net
Attorneys for Plaintiffs

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15

 APPENDIX: DRAFT ACTIONS AND GOALS: 2020-2030
Below is each action that will be addressed in the comprehensive eight-year Plan, along with the
corresponding 2030 goal for each action. Note that several, but not all, of the actions outlined below were
also included in the Fiscal Year 2021 actions detailed above. The actions and goals may not be listed in
priority order. The full action Plan submitted to the Court in the fall of 2020 will include discrete action steps
for each of these actions to be taken over the next eight years.

A Qualified and Well-Prepared Teacher in Every Classroom
ACTIONS
Increase the pipeline of diverse, well-prepared
teachers who enter through high-retention
pathways and meet the needs of the State’s
public schools.
Increase the pipeline of diverse, well-prepared
teachers by expanding the North Carolina
Teaching Fellows program.
Support high-quality teacher residency
programs in high-need rural and urban
districts through a State-matching grant
program that leverages ESSA Title II funding.
Provide funding for Grow-Your-Own and
2+2 programs that help recruit educators in
high-poverty communities.
Significantly increase the racial and ethnic
diversity of North Carolina’s qualified and
well-prepared teacher workforce and ensure
all teachers employ culturally responsive
practices.
Provide high-quality comprehensive
mentoring and induction support for novice
teachers in their first three years of teaching
to increase both their effectiveness and their
retention.
Implement differentiated staffing models that
include advanced teaching roles and
additional compensation to retain and extend
the reach of high-performing teachers.
Develop a system to ensure that all North
Carolina teachers have the opportunities they
need for continued professional learning to
improve and update their knowledge and
practices.
Increase teacher compensation and create
compensation incentives to enable low-wealth
districts to attract and retain qualified and
well-prepared teachers.

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2030 GOALS
NC’s public and private educator preparation programs will
prepare 5,000 teachers per year.
The NC Teaching Fellows program will select 1,500 Fellows
per year.
Each high-need rural and urban school district will have access
to a high-quality residency program that provides support for
faculty advising, teacher tuition and stipends, and ongoing
induction support.
Each low wealth school district will have access to a GrowYour-Own and/or a 2+2 program to attract and prepare high
school students, teacher assistants, and career professionals to
enter the teaching profession.
NC’s teacher workforce will better match the diversity of NC’s
student population.

All teachers with fewer than three years of teaching experience
will be provided evidence-based, comprehensive induction
services.
All school districts will implement differentiated staffing
models that include advanced teaching roles and additional
compensation.
All teachers will have access to and time to participate in high
quality programs that meet their individual professional growth
needs.
Salaries will be competitive with other states and with other
career options that require similar levels of preparation,
certification, and experience.
Low-wealth districts will be able to offer competitive teacher
salary supplements.

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 ACTIONS

2030 GOALS
Low wealth districts and high-poverty schools will provide
incentives for the recruitment and retention of qualified
teachers.

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 A Qualified and Well-Prepared Principal in Every School
ACTIONS
Update the State’s school administrator
preparation and principal licensure
requirements to align program approval
standards with effectiveness practices.

Continue to expand access to high-quality
principal preparation programs.

Expand professional learning opportunities
for current principals and assistant principals.

2030 GOALS
The State’s school administrator preparation standards will be
aligned with the National Education Leadership Preparation
Standards from the National Policy Board for Educational
Administration.
All school administrator preparation programs will be required
to meet the revised preparation standards.
The TP3 and Principal Fellows Program will prepare 300 new
principals each year.
School administrator preparation programs will recruit and
prepare candidates that better match the diversity of NC’s
student population.
Every school district will have a partnership with at least one
school administrator preparation program that meets the
NELP standards and provides full-time, year-long internships.
A formal statewide program will provide professional
development and ongoing support for beginning assistant
principals and principals.
Funding will be available to expand professional development
opportunities for district and school administrators, supporting
both the expansion of existing programs and the creation of
new programs.

Revise the principal and assistant principal
salary structures and improve working
conditions to make these positions more
attractive to qualified educators, especially
those in high-need schools.

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The statewide school administrator salary structure will provide
appropriate compensation and incentives to enable high-needs
schools and districts can recruit and retain highly-qualified
school administrators.
School administrators will have greater autonomy to make
resource decisions to address the needs of their schools.

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 A Finance System that Provides Adequate, Equitable, and Efficient Resources
ACTIONS

2030 GOALS

Revise the State’s school funding formula
so that current and additional funding is
distributed to students with the greatest
need.
Increase Local Education Agency (LEA)
budgetary flexibility by lifting restrictions
on critical allotments through the ABC
transfer system.
Increase the investment in overall spending
for public education incrementally over the
next eight years to provide a sound basic
education for all students.
Increase flexible funding for Student
Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) to
meet the academic, physical, and mental
health needs of students and to ensure that
schools are safe and supportive learning
environments.

School districts will be equitably funded, based on
differential costs of serving specific student populations and
have funding necessary to meet the educational needs of
historically underserved student populations.
District leaders will have flexibility to make resource
allocation decisions based on local needs.

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Average per pupil expenditures will be increased to the levels
estimated necessary to provide a sound basic education for
all students.
All public schools will have adequate funding to meet
national guidelines for specialized instructional support
personnel at recommended staffing ratios, including school
psychologists, nurses, counselors, social workers,
instructional coaches and mentors, to meet the academic,
physical, and mental health needs of students.

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 An Assessment and Accountability System that Reliably Assesses Multiple Measures of Student
Performance
ACTIONS
Establish a more balanced and studentcentered assessment system.

Clarify alignment between the assessment
system and the State’s theory of action.

Include additional assessment item types that
provide a broader understanding of students’
knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Improve coherence among curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.
Amend the current accountability system to
include measures of progress toward
providing all students with the opportunity to
obtain a sound, basic education.

Amend the current annual school report
cards to include additional demographic
information on students and staff.
Use the data provided in the North Carolina
Dashboard to identify the appropriate
evidence-based interventions and supports.

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2030 GOALS
The statewide assessment system will include more formative
and interim assessments, such as the NC Check-Ins, that are
aligned with the State summative assessment and provide
streamlined, actionable student-level achievement information
throughout the school year.
The State’s assessment system will support personalized
learning experiences for all students, including curricular and
instructional resources to support personalized learning
environments and interim assessments that provide educators
with meaningful data to adjust instruction within the school
year.
The State’s assessments will include additional item types that
require students to demonstrate application of their knowledge
and skills, provide information on students’ understanding that
can be applied to improve teaching and learning, and that can
be used to evaluate progress toward a sound basic education for
all students.
The State will provide statewide and regional support to all
local school boards in selecting and implementing curriculum
materials that are tightly aligned with State-adopted content
standards.
State achievement levels will include a singular definition of
proficiency that aligns with grade-level and college- and careerreadiness expectations and provides stakeholders with
consistent and actionable measures of student progress and
proficiency.
The State’s accountability system will include measures of
progress toward meeting the Leandro tenets, including indicators
that provide information on students’ opportunity to access a
sound basic education, in addition to student performance on
State standardized assessments.
The State’s annual school report cards will include additional
demographic information on students and staff.
Data from the accountability system and other school and
district data indicators will be used to guide planning, budget,
and instructional decisions at the school and district level and
to assess school progress and improvement efforts.

20

 An Assistance and Turnaround Function that Provides Necessary Support to Low-Performing
Schools and Districts
ACTIONS
Develop the State’s capacity to fully support
the improvement of its lowest-performing
schools and districts.

Provide resources, opportunities, and
supports for low-performing and highpoverty schools to address out-of-school
barriers to learning, using a communityschools or other evidence-based approach.
Provide statewide and/or regional support to
help schools and districts select high-quality
standards-aligned, culturally responsive core
curriculum resources and to prepare teachers
to use those resources effectively.

Extend the supports already available to
schools to help them further implement an
MTSS framework, a school improvement
plan, and NC Check-In approaches.

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2030 GOALS
The NC State Board of Education and NC Department of
Public Instruction will fully implement the regional support
structure to support the improvement of low performing and
high poverty schools by providing support in all needed content
areas and instructional and leadership coaching.
The NC State Board of Education and NC Department of
Public Instruction will provide direct, comprehensive, and
progressive turnaround assistance to the State’s lowest
performing schools and low performing districts.
All low-performing and high-poverty schools interested in
implementing a community-schools approach will be provided
a community-schools coordinator and other resources to assess
local needs and assets and to integrate social, academic, and
health supports into the school.
The State Board of Education and NC Department of Public
Instruction will update and strengthen state-level process for
reviewing and adopting core curriculum resources aligned with
State standards.
Core curriculum resources recommended by the state-level
process will include digital and blended resources, as well as
commercial and open-source resources.
The NC Department of Public Instruction will provide teachers
and administrators with comprehensive professional
development to help prepare them for implementing the core
curriculum resources.
All school districts will successfully implement MTSS and NC
Check-In approaches or similar evidence-based approaches.

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 A System of Early Education that Provides Access to High-Quality Prekindergarten and Other Early
Childhood Learning Opportunities
ACTIONS

2030 GOALS

Expand the NC Pre-K program to provide
high-quality, full-year services to all at-risk
4-year-old children.
Increase high-quality early learning
opportunities for at-risk children from
birth through age three.

75 percent of eligible 4-year-olds will participate in NC PreK.

Expand the NC Infant-Toddler Program to
provide high-quality early intervention
services for children with special needs and
increase access to services.

Incrementally scale up the Smart Start
program to increase quality, access, and
support for at-risk children and families.
Increase the volume and quality of the early
childhood educator pipeline.

Ensure quality transitions and alignment
from early childhood programs to K-3
classrooms and strengthen elementary
schools’ readiness to support all children to
achieve early grade success.

6/15/20

7-10 percent of eligible children from birth through age 3 in
licensed child care will participate in a high-quality program
modeled on NC Pre-K.
State and federal funding for child care subsidy serves all
eligible working families and supports NC’s child care sector
in providing high-quality early learning programs.
Expand access of early intervention services and supports to
families with children from birth to age 3 to include at-risk
children in North Carolina’s definition of eligibility for the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C
Early Intervention Program (Infant Toddler Program).
Expand the quality of supports and services provided
through the early intervention program to include mental
health for families with children from birth to age 3.
Smart Start will be fully funded (defined as meeting 25
percent of the statewide need for children from birth to age
5) to improve statewide early childhood system
infrastructure and a cohesive continuum of services for
children and families from birth to age 5.
All teachers with an early childhood teaching license working
in licensed child care programs will be paid on parity with
the State salary schedule for teachers.
All lead teachers working in licensed child care programs will
have an associate degree or higher in early childhood
education will be paid according to a defined statewide salary
scale.
All children transitioning from NC Pre-K to public
kindergarten classrooms will have a comprehensive, childcentered transition plan developed collaboratively with their
families, early childhood teachers, and kindergarten teachers.
All principal preparation programs will build the capacity of
principals to effectively support the learning and
development of young children and provide a seamless
continuum of learning for children from birth to age 8.
North Carolina’s licensure system will ensure that educators
working with children through third grade can effectively
support the learning and development of young children and
provide a seamless continuum of learning for children from
birth to age 8.
Funding will be restored for K-3 instructional assistants to
pre-recession levels, at a minimum.
All school districts will have adequate funding to hire and
retain school psychologists, nurses, counselors, and social
workers in line with nationally recommended ratios.

22

 ACTIONS

2030 GOALS

Facilitate reliable access to high quality data
supporting early childhood education.

Real-time data on the services provided to young children
birth through age 5 and their families, including child
outcomes in health, wellbeing, and education, will be readily
available and regularly used to inform policy and decisionmaking.
Real-time data on early childhood teachers and
administrators, their demographics, higher education
attainment, and wages, will be readily available and regularly
used to inform policy and decision-making.
All early childhood federal and grant funding received by the
State will be used for the purposes intended and does not
replace or supplant existing appropriations, whether they be
State or federal funding sources.

Use early childhood federal funding for
intended purposes.

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 Alignment of High School to Postsecondary and Career Expectations for All Students
ACTIONS
Strengthen alignment between career
pathways and workforce demands.
Ensure students graduate prepared for
college-level coursework.
Ensure all high school students have the
option to complete high school courses
leading to college credit, an associate degree,
or a career-ready credential.

Strengthen college and career advising for
high school students.

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2030 GOALS
K-12, community college, and workforce development career
pathways will be aligned and responsive to workforce needs
across the State.
All students who pursue postsecondary education after
graduating from high school will be prepared to enroll directly
into credit-bearing college-level coursework.
All students, especially students in high-poverty schools and
low wealth districts, will have equitable access to postsecondary
and career-readiness opportunities, including dual
enrollment coursework and high-quality, rigorous pathways
leading to a career-ready credential.
All school districts will have at least one cooperative innovative
high school or are a part of a multi-district partnership in which
their students are able to attend a cooperative innovative high
school.
All high school students will have college and/or career
advisors that provide guidance that allow them to plan for,
pursue, and attain their postsecondary education and career
goals.

24