N.C. Legislature Introduces School Choice Legislation
The North Carolina General Assembly in session. Source.
As many state legislatures across the U.S. have introduced “school choice” bills to divert public education funding to private schools, the North Carolina General Assembly has joined the fray. Republicans in the North Carolina State House of Representatives introduced HB 32 during the first week of the legislative session in January. Last week, on April 1st, the bill moved to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, as it progresses through the governmental process on its way to a vote on the House floor. What exactly is included in this bill and what is its intended consequence for both public and private schools?
Per the North Carolina Policy Watch, HB 32 would change all three of the state’s voucher programs. The largest of these programs, the Opportunity Scholarship voucher, is a program limited to families earning up to 278% of the federal poverty level. HB 32 would not necessitate a public school enrollment requirement for students entering the second grade. Currently, first-time voucher recipients have to be previously enrolled in a public school unless they are entering kindergarten or the first grade. The result of this change is that more vouchers will be given to students who are already enrolled in private schools.
The second change to the Opportunity Scholarship voucher is an increase to the value of the voucher. Since its initial creation in 2014, the voucher has been capped at $4,200, under HB 32 this amount would increase to approximately $5,269, per current state spending. A third change is a further loosening of the restrictions of who is eligible to receive a voucher. The bill would allow students in grades 3-12 to be eligible for a voucher even if they are already enrolled in a private school, as long as they were enrolled in a public school the previous semester. Fourth, HB 32 would divert $500,000 of unused funds to beef-up the program. Lastly, the bill would increase the funding for the administration of the voucher program from $1.5 million to approximately $3.6 million by FY 2027-28.
HB 32 would implement similar changes to North Carolina’s other vouchers, the Disabilities Grant voucher and Personal Education Savings Account s vouchers. The Disabilities Grant covers up to $8,000 per year for students with disabilities, these funds can be used for tuition and other outlets like therapy and tutoring. The Personal Education Savings Account gives parents of qualifying students a debit card with $9,000 to be used on varying education expenses. Under the current text of HB 32, these two vouchers would be merged into one, the “Personal Education Student Accounts”, eligibility would be expanded, eligibility verification would be relaxed, and would secure funding increases of $1 million annually through FY 2031-32.
While Republican support for school choice is nearly universal, Democratic opposition is more fractured. The majority of Republican elected officials at every level of government support some degree of school choice. Furthermore, Republicans argue that online learning and school shutdowns caused by the Coronavirus pandemic have heightened the need for school choice reforms.
Democrats on the other hand, are usually supporters of public schools and for increasing public education funding. However, there are some who do support voucher programs and some other school choice initiatives. While some Democrats in the legislature may support aspects of the proposal, Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed other school choice bills in the past. Yet Republicans are hopeful that even if Cooper vetoes HB 32, they will have a veto-proof majority with perhaps some Democrats joining to pass the bill.
North Carolina legislators should take a different approach to solving the existing issues in the public education system, the new issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the issues of inequalities in education statewide. Further diverting funds to private schools will not solve the issues of public schools, it will only exacerbate the problems. This is an issue that could easily have bipartisan support, but the North Carolina legislature’s past reputation on this issue is less than commendable. Meanwhile, as Republicans and Democrats continue to argue about the best approach to schools, millions of students across the state suffer.