Senate Bill 619 would create a new Article 42 in Chapter 115C of the North Carolina General Statutes establishing the AI Academic Support Program, also described in the bill as the AI Instructional Support Program. The program would allow public school units to contract with Khan Academy, Inc. for the Khanmigo artificial intelligence service for grades 6 through 12. The bill states that Khanmigo is intended to help teachers with lesson planning and students with lesson comprehension, and it directs that program funds be used for the service, related professional development, and required rostering tools.
The bill also requires annual one-year contracts, yearly local evaluations before renewal, and reporting to the Department of Public Instruction. It further directs the Department to contract for 500 Khanmigo licenses for schools operated by the Division of Juvenile Justice and to provide technical support for that use. In addition, the Office of Learning Research at the North Carolina Collaboratory would conduct a study of the program’s effectiveness, including effects on student performance and growth, and report findings to the legislature by April 1, 2028.
Impact
If enacted and funded, the bill would add a new statutory program in Chapter 115C governing state-supported AI instructional tools in public schools. It would require public school units that participate to spend allocated funds only on Khan Academy’s Khanmigo service, associated training, and approved class-rostering systems, while also imposing annual evaluation and reporting obligations on districts and the Department of Public Instruction. The bill would also create a specific state-supported deployment of Khanmigo in juvenile justice schools and require a statewide effectiveness study by the North Carolina Collaboratory. The bill contemplates a recurring General Fund appropriation of $10,060,560 for fiscal year 2025-2026, but it becomes effective only if the 2025 Current Operations Appropriations Act is enacted and includes the specified funding.
Sentiment
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or votes, so there is no documented public opposition or support in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears generally pro-innovation and pro-education technology, with a focus on expanding AI-assisted academic support and evaluating its results. The structure of the bill suggests an interest in piloting the tool with oversight rather than an open-ended adoption.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the use of state funds for a single private vendor, Khan Academy, and the requirement that participating school units spend funds only on Khanmigo and related approved systems. Another likely issue is student data use and privacy, since the bill contemplates data aggregation by teacher and subgroup and requires secure rostering and single sign-on systems. Some stakeholders may also question whether AI tools are appropriate for classroom instruction, whether they improve outcomes enough to justify the cost, and whether the mandated reporting and evaluation requirements are sufficient to monitor risks and effectiveness.