GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

S	1 

SENATE BILL 751*

Short Title:  Expand Public School Technology.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Lee; and Perdue.

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Referred to:  Appropriations/Base Budget.

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April 5, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO EXPAND THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO EXPAND TECHNOLOGY IN NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING A VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COMPUTER RECYCLING AND BUILDING PROGRAM.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Board of Education the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for the 2000-2001 fiscal year to expand a public-private partnership to encourage, promote, and expand technology in North Carolina Public Schools and their communities.
Section l.(b) The purposes of the public-private partnership are to:
(1)	Enlist public, private, and volunteer sectors to develop means of bringing technology to North Carolina Public School classrooms and by extension to their communities at minimal cost and expense to the State and its taxpayers. 
(2)	Help schools implement the portion of their technology plan designed to wire classrooms with high-speed data wire that enables them to connect to school networks as well as the Internet, using a wiring program based on partnerships and volunteer support.
(3)	Develop a plan to increase the number of computers, computing equipment, and networking equipment in North Carolina Public Schools.
(4)	Help develop a plan that will assure every school can connect to the Internet so that this tool is made available equally to all children in North Carolina Public Schools.
(5)	Help develop and implement programs to train teachers and other educators in the use of technology.
(6)	Develop Internet-based, multimedia, and other learning programs designed to assist teachers in the job of helping young people learn by using technology.
(7)	Test and evaluate the benefits of each of the projects, investigate and develop other means of using computer-based technology in classrooms, and assure this information is available to other educators.
(8)	Develop additional curriculum plans to enhance a technology career path and work to implement them in collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction, Department of Community Colleges, and University of North Carolina system, where applicable.
(9)	Help establish articulation agreements and concurrent enrollment plans so that students moving between the secondary schools, community colleges, and university system receive the benefit of curriculum uniformity.
Section l.(c) The State Board of Education shall contract with the nonprofit corporation, ExplorNet, to administer the programs.
Section l.(d) The provisions of Article 3 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes do not apply to contracts for supplies, materials, equipment, and contractual services to implement these programs.  The Department of Administration may make its services available to the State Board of Education, when requested by the State Board of Education.
Section l.(e) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the educational components of the programs.
The State Board's contract with ExplorNet shall require ExplorNet to evaluate the technical components of the program and to submit the results of its evaluation to the Information Resources Management Commission for review and comment by August 15, 2001.  The Information Resources Management Commission shall submit the evaluation done by ExplorNet and the Commission's comments on it to the State Board of Education by November 15, 2001.
The State Board of Education shall report the results of these evaluations to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2001.
Section 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.