North Carolina creates $25 million Public School Disaster Preparedness Fund for high-risk areas

Original title: DPI Disaster Preparedness Fund.

Last action · April 3, 2025: Ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Julia Greenfield and 22 others

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Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

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What This Bill Would Do

North Carolina establishes the Public School Disaster Preparedness Fund, administered by the Department of Public Instruction, to distribute $25 million in nonrecurring funds for improving or replacing school structures in high-risk natural disaster areas starting July 1, 2025.

Why it matters

s gain access to state grants for weather-mitigation construction projects, subject to unanimous approval by the State Board of Education and mandatory annual reporting requirements.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

local school administrative units

Local school administrative units are eligible to apply for and receive grant distributions, subject to developing disaster preparedness plans and complying with annual reporting deadlines.

Directly affected

Department of Public Instruction

The Department of Public Instruction administers the fund, publishes applications, processes submissions through its School Planning Section, disburses approved funds, and submits annual reports to the legislature.

Directly affected

State Board of Education

The State Board of Education must adopt rules governing fund disbursement, evaluate applications, and vote unanimously to approve or reject grant requests.

Key Facts

The General Assembly appropriates $25 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to create the fund.
The Public School Disaster Preparedness Fund is established as a nonreverting special revenue fund to improve or replace existing school structures in areas at high risk of natural disasters.
The State Board of Education must adopt rules determining risk levels, standard disaster preparedness plan templates, preparedness standards, and evaluation systems.
The Department of Public Instruction must develop a rolling application process requiring local school units to submit a disaster preparedness plan and a cost estimate.

Show all 9 facts

The School Planning Section evaluates applications and presents them with a recommendation to the State Board of Education.
Fund disbursements require a unanimous vote of the State Board of Education to be approved.
Local school administrative units receiving disbursements must report to the Department of Public Instruction annually by December 15 on expended funds, remaining balances, and progress.
The Department of Public Instruction must report annually by February 15 to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on disbursements, local units funded, and disaster plan progress.
The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which schools are eligible to receive money from the Public School Disaster Preparedness Fund?

Schools located in areas at high risk of experiencing natural disasters that submit an approved disaster preparedness plan and cost estimate are eligible.

What is required for a school unit's grant application to be approved?

The application must be evaluated by the School Planning Section with a positive recommendation and receive a unanimous vote of approval from the State Board of Education.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

3 actions

Apr 3, 2025House
Ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Apr 3, 2025House
Passed 1st Reading
Apr 1, 2025HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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