House Bill 611 would direct North Carolina local boards of education to increase the number of full-time, permanent assistant principals in local school administrative units over time, using average daily membership as the basis for staffing growth. The bill amends G.S. 115C-47 to require local boards to provide for assistant principals and ties that requirement to additional state funding through the Department of Public Instruction’s school building administration allotment.
The bill appropriates new General Fund money beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026 to raise the ratio of assistant principal funding to students, with a further increase in 2026-2027 and each year after. The stated goal is to improve school safety and to help develop future principals by expanding assistant principal staffing in public schools. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Impact
H611 would change state law by adding a new duty for local boards of education under G.S. 115C-47 to increase full-time, permanent assistant principal positions over time. It also creates a recurring state funding commitment through the Department of Public Instruction, increasing the school building administration allotment to support higher assistant principal-to-student ratios. The bill requires that these funds supplement, rather than replace, existing assistant principal funding, and it would affect local school administrative units, school administrators, and state education budgeting.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive and noncontroversial in purpose, based on its framing around school safety and leadership development. Its title and findings present assistant principals as important to safe school operations and as a pipeline for future principals, suggesting a positive policy rationale. No committee debate or recorded votes were provided, so there is no evidence of organized opposition or amendment activity in the available materials.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is fiscal: the bill requires substantial new recurring appropriations from the General Fund, including tens of millions of dollars in each fiscal year, which may raise budget concerns. Another possible issue is implementation, since local boards would be required to increase assistant principal positions based on enrollment measures, which could be challenging for districts with staffing shortages or differing local needs. No specific opposing viewpoints were included in the provided transcripts or vote history.