vouchers
Legislators will vote on a state budget with Medicaid expansion and without casinos
The Republicans’ Frankenstein experiment that sutured promised Medicaid expansion in North Carolina to expanded legal gambling has failed. Republican legislative leaders announced Tuesday night that they are ending their attempts to authorize more casinos in the state — at least for this year — and that the $30 billion budget will move forward with Medicaid […]
The Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Lauren Fox on NC’s private school voucher program
It’s been ten years since North Carolina’s experiment with private school vouchers commenced and, as multiple reports have made clear, when it comes to student achievement, widely shared opportunity, and the wise use of public resources, the program has been a dramatic failure. Given however, that state lawmakers have no intention of scaling back the […]
NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly on the impact of the delayed state budget
Year-round schools are back in session and traditional calendar schools are opening in just a few short weeks. Over at the NC General Assembly, however, lawmakers have yet to turn in their homework – a state budget. The result: great uncertainty for administrators seeking to gear up for the new year – particularly in addressing […]
Educator and policy analyst Justin Parmenter on the plans to dramatically expand school vouchers
Under legislation making its way through the General Assembly this session, North Carolina will soon dramatically expand its controversial private school vouchers program so that households of all incomes will be eligible to receive a state subsidy to send their kids to private school. The multi-million-dollar expansion comes at the same moment that the state’s […]
Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller on vouchers and the failure to adequately fund NC’s public schools
Some big and controversial changes are afoot in public education. Under legislation advanced by Republican lawmakers, North Carolina will soon enact a massive expansion of its hotly debated voucher program that will, for the first time, subsidize the tuition paid by wealthy families to private and parochial schools. What’s more, this change comes at the […]
Sen. Rachel Hunt on the abortion ban and a troubling path Republicans are paving for public schools
This past week at the NC General Assembly saw the final enactment of a deeply controversial ban on abortion care as well as the state Senate’s version of a new two-year state budget. Unfortunately, despite the scope, importance and controversial nature of these bills, the opportunities for real input from senators and representatives – especially […]
House Democrats condemn ‘hurtful’ GOP remarks about Black colleagues’ abortion, education
Democrats issued a statement late Wednesday condemning “hurtful remarks” Rep. Jeff McNeely, a Republican from Iredell County, made questioning whether a Black colleague was only able to attend Harvard University because he was a track athlete and a minority. House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said lawmakers must conduct themselves appropriately and with respect for other […]
Weekend reads: Veto rally sets up a legislative showdown, the latest battles in education, and a new face enters the 2024 race for NC governor
In this issue: 1. Crowd cheers Gov. Roy Cooper as he vetoes abortion ban A crowd cheered Gov. Roy Cooper as he vetoed a Republican-authored abortion ban in an unusual rally that capped off a week of attempts to pressure a small group of GOP legislators into letting the veto stand. Some bills are signed […]
Photo gallery: Veto rally draws big crowds as NC’s governor vows to fight Republican-backed abortion restrictions
Thousands gathered on Raleigh’s Bicentennial Mall Saturday cheering as Gov. Roy Cooper made good on his promise to veto Senate Bill 20, the restrictive abortion ban rushed through the Republican-controlled legislature with little public input and zero amendments. The governor will need at least one Republican to rethink their position in order to sustain his […]
State Rep. Julie von Haefen on a bevy of bills that threaten to undermine public education
This past week was crossover week at the North Carolina General Assembly – the legislature’s self-imposed deadline for passing bills to keep them eligible during the 2023 session. It’s an event that helped turn the steady stream of backward-looking bills that have been winning approval from the Republican supermajorities into a virtual torrent. Fortunately, despite […]