North Carolina’s school choice movement has enjoyed big successes over the past few years, writes JLF’s Terry Stoops. The problem is, North Carolina’s success can also lead to complacency.
Ideas that have circulated through the years include state-imposed mandates that would require charter schools to provide transportation and participate in the federal school lunch program. Some believe that the state should compel charter schools to account for the demographic characteristics of applicants when conducting enrollment lotteries. Districts with a large concentration of charter schools may demand that lawmakers impose market share-based caps on enrollment growth. For charter opponents and skeptics, the holy grail would be the transfer of charter governance to local school boards, an idea mentioned in the News & Observerforum on charter schools in late October.
Let’s hope the choice movement continues to grow. But hoping isn’t enough. At the John Locke Foundation, we will continue to share research and results that light the path toward empowering parents with options that meet the needs and nurture the aptitudes of their children.