(The Center Square) – Preemptively speaking, North Carolina Democrats led by the governor on Thursday condemned the possibility Republicans will move legislation forward next week to provide enough funding to extinguish the waiting list for Opportunity Scholarships.
The Legislature convenes Monday, at noon for both the Senate and House of Representatives. Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, and Rep. Robert Reives, D-Chatham, are respective minority party leaders and say they’ve not been told of voting matters.
A published report Thursday said a bill to be brought forward would end the school choice waiting list and have a provision for requirement by sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Each has been a Republican priority that failed to get across the finish line.
Universal school choice became the law in the state last summer. Popularity with families was evident immediately, and lawmakers have tried to find funding to eliminate the 55,000 children on the waiting list.
Gov. Roy Cooper said such a move could drain nearly $100 million in state funding from public schools in the first year of the expansion
“Republican legislators are returning to Raleigh to siphon hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars out of public schools and give it to the wealthy through private school vouchers,” the governor said. “This would be disastrous for our public schools and the future of our state. They should invest in public education instead so we can give teachers an overdue pay raise.”
The state has an estimated 1.8 million students with just under 1.4 million enrolled in traditional public schools. Enrollment trends show about 10% of students have shifted from traditional public schools to alternative options over the last 15 years.
At $17.9 billion, more than half of this year’s state budget is being spent on education.
“More than one-quarter of North Carolina’s counties – all rural counties – have no or just one private school participating in the voucher program,” Cooper said. “By diverting public funds to wealthier urban areas, private school vouchers are deepening the resource gap and undermining the educational opportunities for rural students.”
Cooper said Republicans’ plan equates to $625 million in new funding in 2024-25.
Republican legislative leaders have not yet announced their plans on legislation to expand voucher funding in the upcoming session.
Caitlin Lee, director of policy and implementation for EdChoice, a national organization that supports vouchers, said the proposed expanded funding could be limited to special needs students.
Special needs students often attend schools that are “incredibly expensive,” Lee told The Center Square.
“Often times, students who have special needs require more than just classroom instruction, they require therapies – occupational therapies, speech therapies,” she said. “It goes beyond the classroom instruction time.”