CBC Editorial: Friday, May 10, 2019; Editorial #8420
The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

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To take state Sen. Ben Clark’s word for it, North Carolina doesn’t need to require oversight, transparency to account for how tax dollars are spent.

That is the conclusion that seems to be the logic behind his most recent statement in support of a bill that further loosens the already irresponsible oversight of the state’s private school voucher program.

Given Clark’s reasoning:

  • Is money for our state parks being spent as intended? No problem. The deer, squirrels, bears, fish and vegetation will speak up if there’s a concern.
    • Are our prisons being run safely and efficiently? The inmates will let us know if they stick around or gripe.
      • Are our hospitals up to snuff? We’ll know if patients are getting healed or get sicker – or worse!

        This is not facetious. This is the only logical explanation for the most recent legislative action concerning “Opportunity Scholarships,” the voucher program.

        Let us be clear, we DO NOT oppose private school vouchers. We DO strongly believe there should be reasonable and responsible accountability and transparency in how these tax dollars are spent. It is tragically lacking today. The new Senate-passed bill makes it worse. It is an invitation to corruption and waste.

        Here’s what Clark, from Hoke County, said (as distributed by Senate Leader Phil Berger and echoing his views) about accounting for the use of millions of tax dollars in vouchers headed to private schools:

        "Parents are the ultimate accountability check regarding the overall efficacy of the educational experience provided to their children. These programs mitigate financial barriers to parents with limited fiscal flexibility and empowers them to seek and choose alternatives for their kids to match them with the optimal educational environment for achieving success."

        Let’s pull this apart:
        Parents are the “ultimate accountability check.” Wrong! There’s no way to check.

        If these parents were spending their own money, Clark might have a case. But these parents are not spending their money, it is OUR money, tens of millions of dollars’ worth. We not only have the right, we have the responsibility to be sure that OUR tax dollars are being spent as intended – to educate North Carolina children.

        Today, thanks to Sen. Clark and other private school voucher backers, taxpayers don’t know if the money is used to pay teachers and provide classroom materials. Maybe, instead, it is being used to build athletic fields or pay for the basketball team to travel to games.

        The program will help parents with “limited fiscal flexibility.” Say what?

        Read the bill. The latest income cap is jacked up to more than $70,000 for a family-of-four (that’s two adults and two kids). Will the rush of better-off families mean those who truly are in need get squeezed out?

        Parents will have access to schools where children will have “the optimal educational environment for achieving success.” Wrong again! There’s no way to know.

        North Carolina public schools are required to demonstrate, in open and transparent ways, how students are progressing according to established standards – both in courses of study and assessments of understanding. There are no identical standards for the students at the private schools that receive taxpayer-supported vouchers.

        As the state Senate voted to expand eligibility for the voucher program – mostly because a good chunk of the millions set aside for the program has been going unclaimed – the House of Representatives budget weakens what is already the least accountable private school voucher program in the nation.

        The budget bill withdraws the very limited required testing to track students’ achievement. Some of the money intended for paying for private school tuition can now be diverted to marketing – by a non-profit organization with close ties to the legislature’s leadership. The annual third-party evaluation of the program would be ended.

        The actions by the House and Senate are making a bad program even worse.

        Anyone seeking out government giveaways in North Carolina programs need look no further than the private school voucher program.

        Legislators insult these children by turning them into poster kids for state government waste and abuse.