Gov. Cooper blasts GOP school voucher expansion as ‘larceny’

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative Democrats on Monday called on Republicans not to go forward with their planned expansion of the state’s school voucher program, calling it “larceny.”

Last week, Republicans in the Senate unveiled and then quickly passed a bill to add another $248 million in funding to the Opportunity Scholarship program next year. Demand surged after the GOP made every family eligible regardless of income. There’s a waitlist of nearly 55,000 applicants.

“This latest larceny, and that’s what it is, is on top of the hundreds of millions in taxpayer money they’ve already siphoned out of our public schools for vouchers,” said Cooper. “Republican leaders hope that if they play this shell game fast enough, the people won’t notice they’re stealing money from our public schools where the vast majority of our children go.”

Democrats introduced a bill that would block any new students from entering the program. Students currently receiving vouchers would continue to do so. The bill phases out funding for the program after the 2035-2036 school year.

The legislation also calls for accountability measures including annual audits at schools receiving more than $100,000 in funding and every three years for schools receiving less than that.

Schools that continue to receive voucher money also could not discriminate based on disability. They also would have to administer all tests required by the State Board of Education for students in grades three and higher. The state would also publish school achievement, growth and performance scores for schools accepting more than 25 students in the voucher program.

Cooper said the money Republicans plan to put into the voucher program could instead go toward the 8.5 percent pay raises for public school teacher he proposed as well as bonuses, hiring teachers’ assistants and funding early childhood education.

“That’s why I oppose this reverse Robin Hood scheme that steals taxpayer money from public schools and gives it to private schools,” he said.

Republicans say they aim to address this issue early in the legislative session because some of the parents on the waitlist will make their decisions about whether to enroll their children in the fall based on whether they get the Opportunity Scholarship money.

The state received about 72,000 applicants and divided them into four income tiers. The money allocated to the program covered people in the lowest income tier as well as a portion of the second income tier. The waitlist has nearly 55,000 applicants including all applicants in the two highest income tiers.  

“We have a responsibility to educate all children whether they’re rich or poor,” said Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham). “That responsibility to assist in the education of children doesn’t stop because someone makes above a certain amount and it doesn’t start because someone less than a certain amount.”

Karissa Laprade, of Leland, said the Opportunity Scholarship program has made a significant difference for her son. She and her husband enrolled him in private school last year but in a hybrid program where he attended in person part-time because that’s what they could afford.

“Once he got immersed in the school culture, he loved it so much. He begged to go every single day,” Laprade said.

They qualified for the Opportunity Scholarship this year, which helps to pay for him to go full-time.

“The majority of our neighbors in our direct community, they go to charter schools because the public schools are just so poor,” she said. “Us parents are just going to use our votes and our dollars and we’re going to find a way to get our kids’ needs met one way or another.”  

The House could take up the Senate-passed bill later this week. Republicans have the votes to override a veto by Gov. Cooper.