Private School Vouchers in North Carolina: The Math Doesn’t Add Up

With the new school year ramping up in North Carolina, Republican lawmakers remain committed to funneling hundreds of millions more taxpayer dollars into vouchers for unaccountable, unregulated private schools. Even though more than 8 out of 10 school-aged children in North Carolina attend public schools every day, Republican legislators are forcing our public schools, educators and students to do more with less.

"Republican leaders in the General Assembly continue to hurt students by taking taxpayer money out of the public schools and giving it to private school vouchers," said Governor Roy Cooper. "As the new school year begins, it's critical to fully fund public schools and raise teacher pay so that children receive the quality education required by our constitution."

Republican leaders of the House and Senate agreed to spend an additional $460 million on private school vouchers that would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest demographic in the state before pausing negotiations. Funds that Republican legislators plan to allocate to their voucher scheme could be used to invest in public schools, including providing a substantial pay raise for teachers.

With the removal of the Opportunity Scholarship Program's income cap, anyone, even millionaires or families who already send their kids to private schools, can pick up a government check. These taxpayer-funded vouchers cover tuition for schools that don't have to:

• Report on how students are performing.
• Serve all students regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs.
• Hire licensed teachers.
• Teach a curriculum based on the state's academic standards.
• Provide services for students with disabilities.
• Provide meals or transportation for students.

In addition, many of the state's top private schools don't accept state vouchers, meaning students are not afforded new opportunities at the best schools. Instead, the schools that do participate often exclude certain students from attending and frequently do not meet key quality metrics.

Recent research from the Public School Forum of North Carolina found that among the 200 private schools that received the most funding from the Opportunity Scholarship program during the 2023-24 school year (collectively, these schools received 75% of all voucher funding last year), 89% of them had some form of discrimination in the admissions process. More than one-third of the schools (38%) excluded students with disabilities and more than two-thirds (68%) had a religious requirement to attend the school. Nine out of every 10 of these private schools has a religious affiliation and less than half (42%) were accredited.

North Carolina ranks near the bottom of all states in K-12 funding, spending nearly $5,000 less per student than the national average. In beginning teacher pay, North Carolina ranks 46^th nationally and 11^th out of 12 states in the Southeast.

In April, Governor Cooper released his recommended budget for FY 2024-2025, Securing North Carolina's Future which would invest over $1 billion in North Carolina's public schools, raise teacher pay by 8.5% and provide a $1,500 retention bonus for teachers across the board.

Governor Cooper declared 2024 as the Year of Public Schools and has been visiting public schools and early childhood education programs across the state calling for investments in K-12 education, early childhood education and teacher pay.

Read "The Year of Public Schools" proclamation here.

Read more about the truth of North Carolina's voucher program here.

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• Education