NC Republicans to consider additional funding for school voucher program

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Republican lawmakers are considering putting more money into the state’s school voucher program, known as the Opportunity Scholarship, following a surge in applications, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said.

Republicans moved to significantly expand the program in the budget that passed last year to make every family eligible for taxpayer money to help pay for private school regardless of how much money a family makes.

The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority said it received more than 72,000 applications, a sharp increase from the current 32,000 students receiving the scholarship and exceeding the $293.5 million available for the next school year.

“I think it shows that parents want a choice, want an opportunity where they’re in some school systems that simply are not providing the education that needs to be provided,” said Moore. “I do want to see us to provide more funding there. We need to keep that promise. At the same time, we need to make sure we adequately fund our traditional public schools.”

Awards for next school year range from $3,360 to $7,468, depending on a family’s income. The legislature also changed the rules to allow families with children already in enrolled in private schools to apply.

It’s unclear how much more money legislators will seek to add to the program during the session that starts in April. The budget that passed last year called for funding to increase each year, exceeding $500 million in the 2031-32 school year.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has called for a moratorium on the program, concerned about a lack of accountability and saying it’s taking money that could be going to public schools instead.

Last year, Cooper declared a state emergency surrounding public education, citing the Opportunity Scholarship expansion as one of the reasons.

“If you’re rich and you get a voucher, then you just got your taxes back or maybe some of my taxes that I would rather have go to public schools,” said state Sen. Graig Meyer (D). “It’s a scam all around. And, what bothers me most is when we keep encouraging people to keep leaving public schools, what we’re really doing is we’re encouraging people to break apart because it’s our public schools that are the most fundamental piece of holding us together.”

Shaqweeta Spencer, a single mother who lives in Charlotte, said in a recent interview that receiving the Opportunity Scholarship has made a significant difference in her kids’ lives. Four of her six children are part of the program, which helps her to pay for them to attend Victory Christian Center.

“In public school, my children felt brushed off. And so, when they got to the Christian school along with the scholarship, they were like ‘wow Mom it’s a difference’,” she said. “It truly helps us every year, especially for those of us who don’t have the income that would be able to allow us to have our children in private school if it wasn’t for the scholarship.”

However, critics of the program have questioned whether it truly leads to improved educational outcomes for children and the policies of some of the schools involved.

Justin Parmenter, a public middle school teacher in Charlotte, posts frequently on X about his concerns with the expansion of the program and the ways some schools exclude potential students.

For example, he posted the handbook for Oak Level Baptist Academy in Stokesdale which notes it will “dismiss any student who listens to worldly music on a regular basis.” The handbook also says, “Rock, rap, country music, etc. are dangerous evils that may not be played, sung or favored on campus, and students must never bring any form of it onto the campus.”

Parmenter also called attention to Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, which noted its faculty are “carefully selected on the basis of their education, experience and integrity.”

“The most outstanding requirements for the instructional staff are an unselfish spirit of dedication to children, a belief that the Christian school ministry is their service to God, and a complete and personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. The entire staff of MZCA has a personal ‘born again’ relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and is filled with the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues,” the school’s parent/student handbook reads.

The left-leaning North Carolina Justice Center also released a report last year on instances of schools apparently receiving more vouchers than students they had reported to the state.

The NCSEAA told CBS 17 it undertakes a two-step verification process before giving money to a school. The school has to certify that a student is enrolled and attending and the parent must do so as well. Schools with 70 or more students must also submit a financial review performed by a licensed CPA to NCSEAA.

The agency is also required to verify residency for 6 percent of Opportunity Scholarship recipients in the 2024-25 fiscal year. In the 2025-26 year, it will begin automated residency verification. The NCSEAA conducts income verification for 4 percent of applicants, including those with errors on their applications.

If a parent or school is suspected of committing fraud, then the matter is referred to the NC State Bureau of Investigation.

Sen. Meyer said, “It’s a scam all around. And, what bothers me most is when we keep encouraging people to keep leaving public schools, what we’re really doing is we’re encouraging people to break apart because it’s our public schools that are the most fundamental piece of holding us together.”

Speaker Moore said parents want accountability financially and from an educational standpoint and will demonstrate that by where they send their children.

He said, “Here’s the beauty of it. With this system in place, if a school is failing to educate those children, they’ll be able to vote with their feet. They’ll be able to withdraw those students from that school.”

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