NC Republicans pitch $1.3 billion boost for private school vouchers

North Carolina Senate Republicans called Wednesday for the largest expansion of the state's private school voucher program since it was created, saying all families should qualify for at least some money regardless of income.

Senate Bill 406 would remove the program’s current income caps, replacing them with a sliding scale that would let any family get a voucher, called an Opportunity Scholarship, of up to $3,246. From there the bill sets up a tiered system with families making less money eligible for larger scholarships, up to $7,213 a year.

The award figures would change annually based on the average amount the state spends, per pupil, on public schools.

The bill also seeks to increase the program’s annual funding, now at $191.5 million and scheduled in current law to increase by $15 million a year, by an extra $1.3 billion over the next seven years.

That would start in 2025, with a $160 million increase. By 2032 the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program would have a budget of more than $500 million a year.

Democrats, as well as the North Carolina Association of Educators, have criticized this program, saying it saps money from public schools. Gov. Roy Cooper has tried to phase it out in several proposed budgets. But the legislature's Republican majority has boosted funding instead, arguing that families deserve more school choice and that the program simply allows state education funding to follow the child.

"Education is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, and that is why families are clamoring for school choice options," Sen. Michael Lee, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement Wednesday. "While Democrats continue to try to abolish the popular Opportunity Scholarship program, Republicans in the Senate have made it a goal to continue expanding school choice."

The proposal will be part of state budget negotiations as the legislative session goes on. House budget writers released their proposed budget Wednesday and, while it calls for expansion of the program, the Senate’s proposal is not part of the House budget.

House Majority Leader John Bell said there will probably be some support in the House for the Senate's bill, but nothing has been decided.

The Senate bill would also have the State Board of Education create a new course schedule for students who want to graduate high school early. It calls for a new “Early Graduate Scholarship Program” that would encourage early graduates to attend a university or community college in North Carolina.