David N. Bass
Carolina Journal
Parents and private school administrators assembled on Halifax Mall behind the Legislative Building in Raleigh on Wednesday to urge state lawmakers to fully fund the 55,000 students on the Opportunity Scholarship waitlist.
“All of us on the waiting list have been waiting in limbo, all spring, all summer, waiting on legislature to take action,” said Rachel Brady, a mother of four who organized the event. “We’ve been told time and time again that they would get this done, and so far it hasn’t happened. It left all of our families in a lurch and extremely frustrated.”
Caroline Cox, another parent, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “We have one last shot to do what we promised—to complete the list,” she said. “We’re calling on our elected House members to step up and do the right thing by these families. North Carolina can lead the way in educational freedom and make a significant difference for our kids.”
The rally took place on a day when House legislators were back in town to override three vetoes from Gov. Roy Cooper, but they adjourned without addressing the waitlist issue.
In May, the Senate approved a stand-alone bill that fully funded the waitlist and sent it over to the House. Instead of voting through the bill, House leadership linked the increased voucher funding to augmented raises for public school teachers and state employees.
Both House and Senate leaders agree on the need for funding, but no agreement was reached as the legislative session ended. A budget adjustment of about $487 million is needed to clear the Opportunity Scholarship waitlist.
The budget impasse also prevented lawmakers from addressing a smaller waitlist of about 2,015 students who applied for the Education Savings Account (ESA+) program, designed for students with special needs.
Opportunity Scholarships are the state’s voucher program enabling families to choose a private school education for their children. Each scholarship is valued at between $7,468 and $3,360 each year, spread across four income tier levels ranging from $57,720 for a family of four in the first tier, to more than $259,740 a year in the fourth tier. A record-breaking 72,000 applications were received for the scholarships in February.
Jason Phibbs, co-founder of Heritage Classical Academy in Stanly County, expressed frustration at the rally. “Lawmakers have eroded the trust of the people. They made a promise to North Carolina families and failed to keep it,” he said.
Phibbs highlighted the impact on his school, noting that many students who previously received scholarships did not get one this year, resulting in a 10% enrollment drop. “Every qualifying student from our school who applied for the scholarship in the prior four years received it, but this year, 85% were denied. Families now face tough choices—pull children out of the school that’s best for them, split children between schools, or make extraordinary sacrifices to pay tuition.”
Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Raleigh four more times this year as the budget debacle continues: Sept. 9, Oct. 9, Nov. 19, and Dec. 11.
David Bass is a senior contributor to the Caro
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