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option sales tax specifically dedicated to school construction or a local option revenue <br />dedicated to school canstructian. <br />Dropout Prevention <br />While the number of high school dropouts has not changed significantly aver the years in <br />North Carolina, it has become increasingly more important for citizens to at least have a <br />high school education to function in today's society. Over the last eight years the state <br />has focused mast of its financial resources on the early years {More-at-Four) and on high <br />school initiat3.ves (e.g. Learn and-Earn, Virtual High School). In the ftrture a more <br />concentrated effort should be directed on additional resources in the early grades and in <br />Huddle schools. ,Adding additional seat time, by either extettd the day and/or number of <br />school days, starting in the early grades and then adding the same tune as that cohort of <br />studenrts moves up the system, would both help continue the gains made by students in <br />the More-at-Foeu program and make our students more competitive internationally. <br />Replacing the funding for middle school vocational education classes would help make <br />the curricutum more relevant for those students most at-risk of dropping out. Until <br />significant progress has been made at the elementary and middle school level, NCSBA <br />opposes increasing the mandatory attendance age from 16. <br />Teacher Carripensatfort <br />North Carolina continues to faca significant challenges in the recruitment aztd retention of <br />teachers. Tn arde~c for teaching profession to bo attractive in North Carolina, it is critical <br />that alI teachers receive adequate compensation. Beyond general increases in <br />compensation, Forth Carolina needs to provide additional pay to attract teachers in <br />critical needs areas and needs to consider individual performance based models. <br />Scltod ,Board Fiscal AccouKtab,uTfty <br />NCSBA supports making school boards fiscally accountable. Over ~0 percent of the <br />local boards of education is the country do not rely upon another loco! government far <br />local fiuading. North Garalina should pass legislation that would allow the communities <br />where both the school baaxd and tho county commission agree to transfer fiscally <br />accountability for public schools to the school board. This urould .snake local boards of <br />education directly accountable to the public for all aspects of public education in their <br />SGrVlce "eq'eR. <br />Ackievement Gup <br />NCSBA supports legislation, consistent with the guiding principals (see below}, that <br />would help close the achievement gap for African American, Hispanic, Native American, <br />economically disadvantaged, Iimited)rnglish prat'icient and disabled students. <br />2 <br />