Legislators in the North Carolina General Assembly reached an agreement to fully fund the waitlist for families waiting to receive private school vouchers. The House and the Senate will vote on the proposal on Wednesday.
The Opportunity Scholarship program is a "follow the person" tax credit program that allows families of any income level to receive vouchers from the state to pay for private education. The program was expanded earlier this year to remove any income restrictions for availability.
Around 55,000 families are currently enrolled on the Opportunity Scholarship's waitlist, according to an August article published by EdNC.
Opponents of the program, including Gov. Roy Cooper, say that the program diverts critical funding from already struggling public schools in North Carolina.
“Republican legislators are returning to Raleigh to siphon hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars out of public schools and give it to the wealthy through private school vouchers,” Cooper said in a press release. “This would be disastrous for our public schools and the future of our state. They should invest in public education instead so we can give teachers an overdue pay raise."
The proposal also includes House Bill 10, which will require sheriffs to coordinate with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a press release from N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland, Rutherford).
“With the inclusion of House Bill 10, we are also reinforcing the rule of law currently ignored by the Biden-Harris administration by requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, strengthening our public safety and protecting our communities," Moore said in a press release.
