Public dollars for private vouchers: Haywood school leaders weigh in

May 12—North Carolina adopted taxpayer-funded 'school choice' last fall providing financial aid for any student to attend private school, regardless of their family's income.

Local school leaders, however, have concerns about the fairness of diverting funds to the private sector, where accountability and standards are far different than for the public system.

Public schools are being forced to compete against institutions that don't have to play by the same rules, they say.

"The money then follows the child, but once they are enrolled in a private school, private schools aren't held to the same standards as public schools," said Chuck Francis, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Education. "I understand that everybody pays taxes. And I can understand the rationale, that 'Hey, I'm taking my kids here, so why can't I use my taxpayer's dollars to go there.' But by the same token, I want to be on the same competitive playground as the other schools are. If you're gonna get the money, then you need to play by the same rules."

The effect of the voucher program varies between school districts. High performing districts have differing concerns about the program than poor school systems that experience more disparities.

"We're very fortunate, because there's a lot of cities and a lot of towns, even Buncombe County, where some of the public schools are just not safe," said Haywood school board member Jimmy Rogers.

Diminishing resources

The Haywood County School system ranks seventh in the state among public school systems, based on academic performance.

"We certainly understand that school choice is needed in some areas of the state. The concern is that additional money will be taken from our school system," said Dr. Trevor Putnam, superintendent of Haywood County Schools.

When it comes to the public school system, the money follows the child. If more students opt to attend private schools instead of public ones, the enrollment in public schools decreases. Consequently, the funding available to public schools also decreases. This funding loss can diminish the resources and programs that public schools can offer.

"Currently, the voucher thing would just open that up to more funding being pulled," Francis said.

"I have expressed my concern about making sure that we don't hurt our traditional public schools with any kind of school choice funding movement," he added. "The main thing is, we want our teachers to be well paid, our staff, our administrators, everybody to be well paid, and anything that is gonna detract from that, that's a concern."

Program expansion

Private school vouchers have been a source of political controversy in Raleigh, largely following party lines with Republicans pushing vouchers and Democrats opposing them.

Lawmakers have expanded the private school voucher system, known as the Opportunity Scholarship program, increasing its funding from $176.5 million to $520.5 million by 2032-2033. Still, the pot wasn't big enough for all the families seeking private school vouchers.

To bridge the gap, the state budget would need about a $300 million increase, making private school vouchers a hot topic during the N.C. General Assembly's short session that began on April 24.

Last week, the GOP-controlled Senate approved an additional $463 million for the program. If that funding becomes law, it would bring the new total for school vouchers in 2024-2025 to $625 million. The proposal is now in committee in the GOP-controlled House.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has expressed concerns about the additional voucher money, setting the possible stage for a future veto and a potential override by the Assembly.

Alternative options

In a press release, Cooper told reporters the proposed additional voucher money could alternatively be used for the following:

—Providing an 8.5% average raise for teachers;

—Providing a $1,500 retention bonus to most public school educators;

—Restoring master's-degree pay for more than 1,000 teachers with advanced degrees;

—Hiring 575 more nurses, counselors, social workers and psychologists for public schools across the state.

Additionally, Cooper said the funds could also be used for the current child-care crisis by:

—Increasing childcare subsidies for struggling, working families;

—Supporting the N.C. pre-kindergarten program, covering the full cost of care for more than 29,000 Pre-K students and providing summer programs for students after pre-k and kindergarten.

—Keeping childcare centers open and improving those facilities with grants.

Pless weighs in

Senators and representatives of each county in North Carolina influence how state budgets allocate resources. For Haywood County, the senator is Kevin Corbin, and that representative is Mark Pless, R-Bethel.

"I grew up in the Haywood County public school systems. I grew up with probably some of your parents, I grew up with folks that have the same values as I do, have different values than I do, but nonetheless, that's what shapes me to make my decisions," Pless said.

Pless toured the halls of Waynesville Middle School for "Bring Your Legislator to School Day" on April 17, stopping into the classrooms to discuss the importance of communicating with state representatives.

"Engage your local officials, and engage your state officials and say, 'Hey I hear this, what can you tell me?' and let us tell you, and you can voice your opinion," Pless said.

"The problem is, the government doesn't work if you don't involve yourself," he added. "Now, I don't want you yelling at people or just trying to cause a ruckus. But what we have to hear is, we have to hear from people who are in our area or we don't know what you want."

This prompted a question from The Mountaineer: How would private school vouchers affect public schools? Pless refused to comment.

"I would absolutely love to answer your questions, but I don't interview with The Mountaineer, I'm sorry. You're welcome to listen and garner and coach somebody else to ask that question," Pless said.

Just a few days later, however, Pless referenced The Mountaineer's question in his mass email newsletter to constituents — which he calls 'The Pless Press' — and explained his stance on vouchers.

Pless said during his tour on 'Bring Your Legislator to School Day,' the subject came up with school leaders.

"I feel they would like those to go away. I did explain that parents should have the right to put their child in a private school if they decide to do so. There is an application process, and currently more applications are in than money available," Pless wrote in an April 22 email.

Pless also suggested the school system shouldn't blame vouchers for their declining enrollment.

"I am convinced that if the public schools work hard with families and share the good work being done in our schools, then enrollment will not decline," he said.

Like Pless, the majority of Republican legislative leaders have taken the stance that investment in private school vouchers means providing students an alternative if the public school isn't working for them.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers filed House Bill 993 and Senate Bill 853 on May 2 to put a moratorium, or temporary postponement, on the voucher program until more accountability is shown by participating private schools.

In Saturday's edition of The Mountaineer, hear what school officials in Haywood County have to say about the voucher system as it stands, how those vouchers are used locally, and more.