Sen. McInnis files bill in North Carolina Senate on teacher license transitions

A new bill filed by State Sen. McInnis seeks to enable teachers with expiring limited licenses to transition to continuing professional licenses based on their performance evaluations, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 508 on March 25 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘LL to CPL/Apprenticeship Program.’

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

In essence, this bill enables teachers working under an expiring limited license in North Carolina to transition to a continuing professional license if they possess a positive average growth score according to the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) for two of the last three years. Teachers who have a negative average growth score but still meet the expected growth level may have their limited licenses renewed at the request of their employing local board of education. This act takes effect immediately upon becoming law and applies to limited licenses expiring on or after this date.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Michael V. Lee proposed the most bills (34) 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.

Mclnnis, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 21st Senate district, replacing previous state senator Ben Clark.