North Carolina Legislature Overrides Veto – Increases School Choice Funding

by Jeff Johnston | November 22, 2024 | Education

North Carolina’s General Assembly voted to overturn Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of legislation increasing funding for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program.

The measure, HB 10, adjusted the state budget, increasing funding for the program from $191.5 million for the 2024-2025 school year to $625 million for the 2025-2026 school year, growing the program to $800 million over the next seven years. Opportunity scholarships are available for K-12 students attending private schools.

North Carolina Family Policy commented on the move to increase educational freedom:

This provision will help give more families who want to participate in education freedom the financial means to choose the educational environment that best meets the needs of their children.
NC Family is one of a number of organizations that strongly advocated for the passage of this important legislation, and we are grateful that the North Carolina General Assembly took the initiative to override Governor Cooper’s veto of HB 10.

The scholarship program now offers opportunities for all students in the state, with scholarship allocations based on family size and income. Scholarships range from $3,360 for higher income families to $7,468 for families with lower income and families with more children.

The state was faced with a waitlist after the General Assembly eliminated income caps for the program last year. This led to a “surge in applications,” reported The Associated Press, “leaving about 55,000 children on the waitlist and many parents frustrated.” 

HB 10 also increased funds for Medicaid and broadband access, and it requires sheriffs to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they arrest and incarcerate suspects. Sheriffs must find out if detainees are legal residents and notify ICE of any illegal immigrant’s incarceration.

The North Carolina Senate overrode the veto by a large margin of 30-19. The House overwhelmingly supported educational freedom by a vote of 72-44.

Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children (AFC), released a statement saying:

These scholarships offer families the financial flexibility to choose the best educational environment for their children, and we are thrilled that the opportunity will soon be available to all of the families who need it.

AFC’s report “Research Shows Favorable Impact of Private School Choice” found that school choice improves student education outcomes. The group found, “Seventeen empirical studies examined academic outcomes for students participating in private school choice using random assignment, the ‘gold standard’ of defensible social science.” Eleven of the studies showed improved test scores, four found no significant effect, and only two studies demonstrated a negative impact.

The report also found that competition created by school choice leads to improved public school outcomes, saves tax dollars, and helps create less racial segregation.

ExcelinEd is another group that supports quality education, school choice, and parental rights in education. Patricia Levesque, executive director of ExcelinEd in Action, released a statement saying:

Today is a landmark victory for students and families across North Carolina. By overriding the governor’s veto pen, the legislature has cleared the way for thousands of students on school choice waitlists to access the educational opportunities they want and deserve.
This bold step reflects a commitment to putting students first, empowering families and fostering high-quality education choices statewide.

The educational freedom movement is growing, with Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah adopting education freedom policies in 2023, joining Arizona and West Virginia, which already had them in place.

Related articles and resources:

Focus on the Family’s Equipping Parents For Back-To-School helps parents – and other concerned citizens – be aware of what’s happening in classrooms and offers important guidance for how to advocate for children.

Cynthia Tobias – ‘Reclaiming Education: Teach Your Child to Be a Confident Learner’

Educators, Parents and Students Rally to Support National School Choice Week

Focus on the Family:

Iowa, Utah, Oklahoma and Florida Move to Expand Educational Freedom

Students’ Test Scores Tank After School Consults ‘Woke Kindergarten’

Image from Shutterstock

’Tis the season for holiday reading!
Check out Daily Citizen’s cheery winter reads.