House Bill 822 Summary

• State Board of Education shall implement a three-year Dropout Recovery Pilot Program in New Hanover County Schools and three other school districts selected by the Board to provide flexible scheduling and blended learning for at-risk students.

• Education partners (nonprofit or for-profit entities) approved by the State Board shall provide educational services, while local school administrative units remain responsible for enrollment reporting, diploma issuance, and alignment with graduation requirements.

• Pilot program must offer flexible scheduling with at least two different program schedules, differentiated instruction including individualized/group/online components, accessible facilities, and daily assessment of student academic progress aligned with state standards.

• Education partner applicants must demonstrate prior dropout recovery experience, at least two years serving brick-and-mortar and online public school programs, experience with diverse and disadvantaged student populations, and plans for hiring state-certified teachers and qualified administrators.

• Participating local school administrative units retain 5% of per-pupil funding for administrative costs and remit the remaining 95% to the education partner within 15 days; flexible attendance requirements are authorized due to the program's online and flexible scheduling components.