House Bill 57 Summary

• Creates a comprehensive definition of "public school unit" in North Carolina law to include local school administrative units, charter schools, regional schools, and schools operated by the State Board of Education and University of North Carolina.

• Codifies the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) program into permanent statute, transferring it from temporary appropriations language to formal legal structure under Chapter 115C.

• Establishes NCVPS as a program administered by the Department of Public Instruction (not classified as a public school unit) providing free e-learning courses to students in public schools, Department of Defense schools, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, with paid tuition available for nonpublic and out-of-state students.

• Implements a funding formula requiring the State Board of Education to transfer 75% of each public school unit's projected NCVPS instructional costs from classroom teacher allotments, with an annual adjustment on February 28 based on actual enrollment.

• Establishes a $2,000,000 NCVPS enrollment reserve fund and allocates at least $3,760,816 annually for state-level operations, with annual adjustments based on enrollment growth; becomes effective July 1, 2019.