(a)        Fee Schedule. – The State Board of Education shall establish by rule a schedule of fees for professional educator licensure and administrative changes. The fees established under this section shall not exceed the actual cost of providing the service. The schedule may include fees for any of the following services:

(1)        Application for demographic or administrative changes to a license.

(2)        Application for a duplicate license or for copies of documents in the licensure files.

(3)        Application for a renewal, extension, addition, upgrade, reinstatement, and variation to a license.

(4)        Initial application for a new graduate from any recognized educator preparation program.

(5)        Initial application for an out-of-state applicant.

(6)        All other applications.

An applicant must pay any nonrefundable or nontransferable service fees at the time an application is submitted.

(a1)      Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, the State Board of Education shall reimburse the initial application fee for any new graduate from any recognized EPP the first time an applicant submits an application for teacher licensure, if the applicant has successfully earned an initial professional license in North Carolina. The State Board shall issue the reimbursement to the application fee within 30 days of the date the applicant successfully earns an initial professional license in North Carolina.

(b)        Fee Increase Reporting. – The State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 15 in any year that the amount of fees in the fee schedule established under this section has been modified during the previous 12 months. The report shall include the number of personnel paid from licensure receipts, any change in personnel paid from receipts, other related costs covered by the receipts, and the estimated unexpended receipts as of June 30 of the year reported. ?(2017-189, ss. 3(c), 6(q).)