— When out-of-state educators come to North Carolina to teach, how should they be vetted? Is a teaching license from another state enough, or should they be required to take extra tests or be reviewed further to prove they are qualified to receive a North Carolina teaching license?

The State Board of Education has been grappling with those questions and decided Wednesday to send the topic back to a lower board for more review. The North Carolina Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) discussed the topic Thursday and ultimately decided to review it further next month.

At issue is whether other states' requirements and exams for teacher licensure are comparable to North Carolina's standards, especially for elementary education and exceptional children-general curriculum teachers.

Some school systems in North Carolina are "in dire need of teachers" and would like an easier, more simplified process for hiring out-of-state educators, state board member Olivia Oxendine told her colleagues at a meeting earlier this month. However, she added, there is a concern that doing so could lower North Carolina's licensing standards.

Another concern is that a candidate who does not meet North Carolina's standards could go to another state with lower standards, get a license and then return to North Carolina to teach.

The commission, PEPSC, previously recommended allowing teachers with out-of-state licenses to qualify for a North Carolina teaching license without additional testing. But state board members said they were not comfortable with that and wanted more scrutiny. PEPSC tried to address those concerns by recommending monitoring of out-of-state teachers for how effective they are once they come in state, EducationNC reported.

But state board members were still not comfortable. Instead, the board suggested keeping language in the current policy that requires the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to ensure out-of-state teachers take tests with standards comparable to North Carolina's. But DPI leaders said they do not have the staff or expertise to do that kind of detailed analysis when other states' tests are not identical to North Carolina's.

"It is very difficult to assess comparability. It is a technical process," said Tom Tomberlin, DPI's director of educator recruitment and support.

Tomberlin, who told board members he feared the risk of lawsuits, suggested a different approach Wednesday. To identify which out-of-state teachers could automatically receive a North Carolina teaching license, he suggested looking at what undergraduate college they attended.

"We are basing this decision on empirical data instead of some kind of judgment," Tomberlin said. "Where we have evidence that, historically, these are more effective teachers, we waive the requirement and don’t require the additional testing."

State board member James Ford said that plan would "open up Pandora's box" because some teachers don't study education as undergrads.

"Some folks are lateral entry," Ford said. "Maybe they came through the college of engineering."

"That's a great point you raise," Tomberlin said. "We’re leveraging undergraduate degree institution for this analysis" and not educator preparation programs.

Also Wednesday, board members discussed the recent introduction of Senate Bill 219, which would allow any licensed, out-of-state teachers in good standing to get a North Carolina teaching license without any additional testing.

"If it passes, it would have an impact on the very things we're talking about today," Tomberlin said.

State board members plan to discuss the topic again at their next meeting in April.