RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) – The North Carolina Senate voted Thursday to approve spending nearly $500 million on the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program in the upcoming school year. This is in addition to the funds already approved to pay for scholarships after the program was expanded last year.
The Senate voted 28-15 along party lines- with Republicans voting in favor of approval- to pass House Bill 822 to the House of Representatives.
The program provides scholarships for families to attend eligible private schools. Last year’s expansion of the program eliminated an income cap for eligible families.
According to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, grants range from $3,000 to $7,000.
Senator Michael Lee, who sponsored the bill to expand the program last year, says the additional funding is necessary to accommodate an increasing demand for scholarships.
It really was just making sure we were appropriately funding the policy that we passed last year,” Lee said. “There was a lot of demand that came through the system, and we really were only able to fund into tier one, which is the lowest socio-economic threshold. And so, we were really trying to clear the waitlist.”
Democrats, including Governor Roy Cooper, have opposed any expansion of private school vouchers. Cooper says the additional funding takes money away from public schools.
“Of all the important issues in North Carolina, the top priority for Republicans is funneling taxpayer money into private school vouchers for the wealthy instead of giving teachers a decent pay raise,” said Cooper. “This is catastrophic for the hardworking educators who deserve higher pay and the families with children in public schools whose education is threatened by this reckless desire to give a government handout to millionaires.”
Lee says the additional funding does not take any money away from public schools. He says the goal is to give more families a choice about where to send their kids to school.
“I think that families need the opportunity to have input in the place where they think their child can learn the best and that really means that funding is going to follow students, especially in the lower socio-economic tiers,” said Lee.
Cooper has expressed concerns that private schools do not have to follow the same standards as public schools when it comes to teacher pay and student opportunities.
“The bottom line is that the most important accountability metric is the parent or guardian of that particular student, making sure that they’re getting the educational services that they deserve,” Lee said.
If the bill becomes law, $248 million would be allocated to help clear the waitlist for the 2024-2025 school year. It also includes roughly an additional $215 million in recurring funds for the next fiscal year.
The bill now goes to the House. If approved, it will go to Cooper’s desk for his signature. Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate.
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