Latest news with #OpportunityScholarships
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NC Board of Education releases new report on school vouchers
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Most of the recipients of North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarships weren't from public schools. That's according to data from the NC Department of Public Instruction. Staff presented the new data at the State Board of Education meeting Wednesday. It shows that of the 80,325 opportunity scholarship recipients, 6,710 came from public schools, that's about 8.4% of recipients. The Opportunity Scholarships are vouchers given to North Carolina families to pay for private schools. Last September, state lawmakers decided to funnel more than half a billion dollars into the program and removed income limits. Republicans argued it promoted school choice, while Democrats who voted against it said the funding would largely go to families that can already afford private school. NC lawmakers pass $463 million school voucher bill Of those 6,710 students who came from public schools, 5,955 were enrolled in the fall or full year, which contributed to just over $34.3 million in vouchers. If the students had stayed in public school, the state would have been awarded just over $44.4 million. This data does not include the remaining 755 students who enrolled in the Spring. Also, the data did not say if the other over 73,000 students who received vouchers were already attending private schools or were new students. All this comes after NC Board of Education members called for a moratorium on new voucher spending earlier this year in hopes of reinvesting the funds into traditional public schools. Wednesday staff made a recommendation to the board, which includes reinvesting the $10 million difference. They also recommended using a Uniform Identification system to better track data. The board is expected to make a decision at their meeting on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill seeks administrative fix to avoid ‘manufactured crisis' in private school scholarship program
Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno. (Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Two years ago, a first-come first-served process allowed one Florida group to hoover up every dollar of available funding for Nevada's private school scholarship program, which led to a perceived budget shortfall and a contentious 12-hour legislative meeting. Now, Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno is sponsoring a bill aimed at addressing the administrative issues that led to that hubbub. Assembly Bill 441 does not affect the total funding amount for the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship program, better known as Opportunity Scholarships. The program and its funding have been a political battleground for Republicans and Democrats since being established in 2015. AB441 would create a 30-day application period during which the scholarship-granting organizations would submit to the Department of Taxation their applications for accessing funds. The Department of Taxation would then approve applications based on a mandated order of priority: Students already receiving a scholarship are first, then siblings of returning students, and then everyone else. What happened in 2023 was that one Florida-based organization, AAA Scholarship Foundation, claimed the entirety of the $6.66 million available, leaving nothing for the other organizations who had been counting on the money. That led Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to ask the Democratic-controlled Interim Finance Committee for $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the scholarship program. When his request was denied, Lombardo accused the majority party of 'forcibly removing hundreds of low-income students from their schools.' Democrats at the time called it a 'manufactured crisis' fanned by a Republican governor who earlier that year had proposed a massive expansion of the scholarship program only to walk away from a contentious legislative session with enough funding to keep the program at its current level. According to the most recent annual report on Opportunity Scholarships, which covered scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year, AAA had given out $5.8 million to at least 957 students and was still awarding money in December 2023. Meanwhile, three organizations that had given out money the year prior gave out nothing. Monroe-Moreno last week told lawmakers on the Assembly Revenue Committee, which advanced the bill, that AAA publicly vowed to help affected students but did not follow through. She added that one organization told her that their students did not get funded by AAA. AAA Scholarship Foundation CEO Kim Dyson declined the Nevada Current's request for an interview but emailed press releases from after that 2023 meeting stating that the organization was opening a special application period for students who'd been affected. Dyson in a letter of opposition to AB441 said that the organization 'awarded scholarships to every eligible transferring student who applied with us.' The Nevada Independent reported in September 2023 that 283 students applied to AAA for a scholarship during that application period. That was less than half the amount of the number private school voucher advocates had said would be affected by the IFC decision the prior month. For the 2024 funds, the Department of Taxation considered all applications received on one set date (June 14, 2024) to be received at the same time. Then, the department prorated the available funds, resulting in each organization receiving 76% of what they requested. Dyson in an email said the organization is 'grateful' for that change. AB441 would also require scholarship-granting organizations to expend the money they receive within 18 months, with any unspent money after that time period going back to the state. Representatives from AAA testified to lawmakers in August 2023 that the organization had $13 million in reserves. AAA on Monday confirmed to the Current that the organization still has $13 million in reserves. It's unclear how much reserves funding the other scholarship-granting organizations have. In 2023, those organizations had about $5 million combined. Dyson in a letter of opposition to AB441 argued that reserves ensure financial stability and that the organization has followed the 2017 guidance from the Nevada Department of Education and Nevada Treasurer's Office. 'Unlike some other' scholarship-granting organizations, 'we have never had to cancel scholarships for eligible returning students,' she wrote. AB441 must be passed by the full Assembly by April 22 or it will be considered dead.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pandemic boosted private school enrollment, but the boom is officially over
(Stock photo via Getty Images) Private school enrollment in Nevada has dipped for the first time in four years, according to updated data released by the Nevada Department of Education. The current academic year's 1.61% dip in enrollment follows one year of modest 1.83% growth and two years of more significant 7% growth, which mirrored a nationwide trend of parents opting for private schools because they were better able to reopen physical classrooms and adapt to the COVID-19 restrictions. In the six years preceding the start of the pandemic, private school enrollment only recorded one year of enrollment growth. The other five years, enrollment remained flat or dipped. As of October, 22,442 students were enrolled in private schools in Nevada — 368 students fewer than the prior year. The Nevada DOE compiles a separate report on K-12 enrollment within public schools. When data from the reports are combined, private school students make up 4.4% of students enrolled in Nevada schools. (The state does not aggregate the number of homeschooled students statewide.) The total number of private school students remains higher than pre-pandemic. In October 2019, there were 19,325 students enrolled. Last year, the Nevada DOE noted the modest 1.83% increase 'might indicate a leveling off' of private school enrollment. This year's report, dated January 2025 but only recently released by the department, does not ponder potential reasons for the dip. The report also does not provide disaggregated data showing enrollment at each of the 131 private schools in the state. The report does note that most grade levels saw a decrease in enrollment. Only fourth, eighth, seventh and ninth grade level totals increased. When enrollment data is looked at by county, Washoe saw the biggest decline in private school enrollment — 10.7% or 339 students. One school, St. Nicholas Orthodox Academy in Reno, permanently closed its doors after the 2023-24 academic year, but it enrolled fewer than a dozen students, so its closure does not account for the drop. The Nevada DOE, through its public information officer, said it had no data or additional information regarding the overall drop in Washoe County. Washoe County now has 3,402 students enrolled in private schools. In Clark County, private school enrollment dropped by 76 students, or less than half a percent of its total private school enrollment. Clark County now has 17,869 students enrolled in private schools. Two private institutions in Las Vegas — St. Anne's Catholic School and Spring Valley Christian School — shuttered after the 2023-24 academic year. When it announced its closure in April 2024, St. Anne's cited 'continued diminishing enrollment and tremendous financial challenges,' according to KLAS. The school also blamed a 60% enrollment decline over a decade and the 2019 scaling back of funding to the state's voucher program, known as Opportunity Scholarships. St. Anne's had been open for 70 years. One school leader told the Las Vegas Sun enrollment at the school began sliding in 2007 when Bishop Gorman High School moved from a property adjacent to St. Anne's to its current Summerlin complex. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo held a press conference at St. Anne's in 2023 to talk about his education agenda, which included massive expansion of Opportunity Scholarships. Democrats, who control both chambers of the state legislature, have drawn a hard line on the issue and have said they are not open to expanding the program, which was established a decade ago when Republicans were in charge of the Legislature and governorship. Advocates of school voucher programs blamed Democrats for St. Anne's closure. In Nevada, there are two classifications of private schools: exempt, which means the school is affiliated with a religious institution, and non-exempt, meaning it is not affiliated with a religious institution. The majority of private schools are exempt. Nevada requires secular schools to report the number of full- or part-time teachers and their qualifications. According to the annual report, of the 606 teachers at those private schools: 266 are licensed by the State of Nevada, 77 are licensed by another state, 21 have a master's degree plus 1 year of experience, and 28 have a bachelor's degree plus 3 years of experience. Religious-affiliated schools are required to report the number of full- or part-time teachers but not their qualifications. According to the report, there are 1,371 teachers in those schools.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC private school vouchers more than double after lawmakers remove income limits
RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – New data from North Carolina education officials shows Opportunity Scholarship applications surged after state lawmakers removed income caps and are likely to hit new highs for the upcoming school year. Applications hit a record high for the 2024-25 school year. The program more than doubled after the elimination of income limits, going from 32,549 to 79,775 recipients in a single year. Critics of the grants argue the lack of income caps allows for wealthy families to benefit from a program designed for students from lower-income households. According to data from the State Education Assistance Authority, 42% of recipients fall into the top two tiers of earners. Families with higher household income levels were previously ineligible for the scholarship. Families who earn less than $57,720 annually fall into Tier 1. Tier 2 includes those who make between $57,720 and $115,440 each year. Households with annual earnings between $115,440 and $259,750. Tier 4 includes people who make more than $259,750. In Mecklenburg County, 52% of Opportunity Scholarships for the '24-25 school year fall into Tiers 3 and 4. Households can receive $3,458 to $7,686 yearly to offset the cost of private school tuition, depending on family income. Families can use the money for tuition, books, transportation fees, and equipment or other items the school requires students to have. The North Carolina State Board of Education voted 9-2 in February to request a moratorium on new funding for Opportunity Scholarships. They request lawmakers reinvest the funds into traditional public schools. Education experts anticipate another surge in applicants for the upcoming year as White House Administrators continue to promote school choice options. Opportunity Scholarships began in North Carolina in 2014. The bill which established the grants stated it aims to 'reduce the socioeconomic achievement gap.' Critics say the award notifications go out to families beginning April 1. The priority application period is Feb. 6 through March 6, but families can still apply. Those who submit an application after March 6 will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis with funds remaining after priority and renewal applications. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
