Robbing Peter…

Nicole Quick

Originally published in the Greensboro News and Record June 25th, 2023

The N.C. legislature's proposed expansion of its private school voucher program would provide a giveaway to the wealthy while starving public schools of needed resources. If approved in this year's state budget, funding for the program would increase from $133.3 million this year to more than $400 million for the 2024-25 school year.

If your district school is one of those that has been starved of resources over the last decade, you might consider a voucher for a private school a good thing. However, you should be aware that private schools don't have to admit your child. In addition, the poorest families will receive an estimated $7,684 voucher, but the average cost of private school in Guilford County is $13,740.

On the other hand, the wealthiest families will get a $3,000 voucher, even if their children are already attending a private school and they've been paying out of pocket until now. The result is that the children of most poor and middle-class working families still will be attending public schools, but those schools now will have even fewer resources.

In Guilford County, an estimated $11 million in state funding for public schools will be redirected to these "Opportunity Scholarships," and we're one of the "lucky" counties — our county commissioners have worked to make up some of the shortfall in our school budgets. Rural schools aren't so fortunate.

How long can the county continue to subsidize our public schools though, given the rate at which the state is divesting from them?

Here is a link to the bill itself: https://ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H823v4.pdf

Here is a link to the impact analysis by the Governor’s office: https://governor.nc.gov/documents/files/osbm-s406-h823-impact-analysis/open