Sen. Alexander files bill in North Carolina Senate on charter school oversight

A new bill filed by State Sen. Alexander seeks to enhance oversight of charter schools by mandating board approvals and expanding the Charter Schools Review Board’s authority, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 689 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill mandates that any rules or policies related to charter schools in North Carolina must first receive approval from the Charter Schools Review Board before being adopted by the State Board of Education. It allows the Review Board to hire legal counsel and exempts charter schools from listing class rank on students’ transcripts. Charter schools are permitted to use alternative teacher evaluations, and low-performing charters must report improvement plans solely to the Review Board. The bill grants the Review Board the authority to review decisions concerning federal funding to charter schools, establishes an expedited application process for certain remote charter schools, and ensures these schools receive separate performance grades. The act takes effect upon becoming law, applicable from the 2025-26 school year.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Kevin Corbin and Brad Overcash proposed the most bills (29) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Alexander graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA.

Alexander, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2019 to represent the state’s 44th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Vickie Sawyer.