New and damning school voucher data confirm worst fears
Ever since North Carolina legislators established the so-called 'Opportunity Scholarships' school voucher program, sponsors and proponents have pitched it as a means of helping low-income students escape struggling public schools.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a new report from the Department of Public Instruction shows that this was all baloney. The DPI researchers found that just sixty-seven hundred of the state's eighty-thousand-plus vouchers in the current school year went to students who had attended a North Carolina public school in the prior year.
And while the data for kindergartners were not yet available, it's clear that as much as ninety percent or more of new vouchers in 24-25 were for students who have never attended a public school.
In other words, the vast majority of voucher money is going to parents – most of them well-off – who never had any intention of sending their kids to public schools.
The bottom line: School vouchers in our state have nothing to do with quote 'opportunity' and everything to do with undermining and privatizing public education. Other explanations are simply false.
For NC Newsline, I'm Rob Schofield.
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New and damning school voucher data confirm worst fears
Ever since North Carolina legislators established the so-called 'Opportunity Scholarships' school voucher program, sponsors and proponents have pitched it as a means of helping low-income students escape struggling public schools. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a new report from the Department of Public Instruction shows that this was all baloney. The DPI researchers found that just sixty-seven hundred of the state's eighty-thousand-plus vouchers in the current school year went to students who had attended a North Carolina public school in the prior year. And while the data for kindergartners were not yet available, it's clear that as much as ninety percent or more of new vouchers in 24-25 were for students who have never attended a public school. In other words, the vast majority of voucher money is going to parents – most of them well-off – who never had any intention of sending their kids to public schools. The bottom line: School vouchers in our state have nothing to do with quote 'opportunity' and everything to do with undermining and privatizing public education. Other explanations are simply false. For NC Newsline, I'm Rob Schofield.
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'If we pass this bill, we are opening the door potentially for more of our children to have to endure the horrors of being locked in their classroom, because one of their classmates, 18 years old, had the state of North Carolina's stamp of approval to go and get a weapon and conceal it and walk in the school.' North Carolinians Against Gun Violence are calling on Governor Stein to veto SB 50. 'The safeguards we lose if we repeal the requirement for a concealed carry weapons permit are all too dangerous to risk when it comes to public carry of firearms in North Carolina,' said Becky Ceartas, executive director of NCGV. 'Without a background check, the public and law enforcement do not know who is illegally carry a concealed weapon or not.' Ceartas said weak concealed carry weapon permitting laws also increase gun thefts by approximately 35%. 'The General Assembly is taking us in the wrong direction for our state, and we urge Governor Stein to veto this dangerous bill.' Immediately after approving SB 50, the House passed legislation (HB 811CS) that would appropriate $1 million in recurring funds over the next two fiscal years. This would allow North Carolina's community colleges to establish a comprehensive firearm safety instruction course, making 'the instruction as accessible as possible to all citizens 18 years and older who seek to enroll.'
