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Last week, well-funded public school advocacy groups convinced a judge to issue an injunction against the state’s new Opportunity Scholarship Program.
These special interest groups may have slowed implementation of a voucher program for low-income children, but they have not curbed parents’ desire for expanded educational options. Indeed, those of us who believe in school choice for all North Carolina families have the upper hand, as well as the high ground.
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CommenTerry
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood issued an injunction that paused North Carolina’s new Opportunity Scholarship Program, a private school voucher program for low-income families. At that point, the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority had received over 4,700 applications for approximately 2,400 vouchers made available by the NC General Assembly’s $10 million appropriation last year.
But for the plaintiffs who sued the state to block the voucher program, this is not a case about low-income families or the North Carolina Constitution or what constitutes a "sound, basic education." Their objection to the voucher program has little to do with the low-income families that they claim to champion. Rather, the goal is to protect a handful of entrenched and well-funded advocacy organizations that rightfully fear that educational choice will further loosen their grip on schooling in the state.
The Left won this battle, but they will lose the war. In fact, the injunction may strengthen the resolve of the over 4,700 parents who applied for an Opportunity Scholarship for their children.
My optimism is grounded in history and facts, not disposition. (In fact, I am a pretty miserable person — an Eeyore, if you will.) There is little doubt that educational choice is here to stay. More parents than ever choose to enroll their children in a charter school or a private school. Tens of thousands opt to educate their children at home.
The demand for charter school seats continues to outpace supply. Tens of thousands of families remain on wait lists for charter schools that cannot expand fast enough to accommodate the demand. Most new charter schools meet their enrollment caps within one or two years of operation. I suspect that charter school enrollment will exceed 55,000 students this year.
Moreover, the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education estimated that nearly 96,000 children attended private schools and approximately 88,000 attended home schools last year. It’s just a matter of time before North Carolina’s private and home school populations reach 100,000 students, respectively.
Parents have voted with their feet. They want more, not fewer, educational options.
The demand for options will strengthen as parental dissatisfaction with the district school system grows. And there are plenty of reasons to be dissatisfied. Consider the following:
- In Halifax County, only nine of one elementary school’s 180 students earned proficiency in reading or math last year. Again, that is nine students, not 9 percent.
- Of the approximately 127 students who attended a community college immediately after graduating from one Guilford County high school, 115 (91 percent) required remediation in math, reading, and/or English.
- Last year, only about half of the low-income students attending one high school in Vance County graduated on time.
- Both Halifax County high schools had average SAT scores that were more than 200 points lower than the state average.
How much longer will parents tolerate district schools that fail to adequately educate their children year after year? If North Carolina’s history of expanding school choice is any indication, they may not have to tolerate them much longer.
Facts and Stats
Plaintiffs’ attorneys:
Robert F. Orr, Poyner Spruill LLP
Edwin M. Speas, Jr., Poyner Spruill LLP
Carrie V. McMillan, Poyner Spruill LLP
Burton Craige, Patterson Harkavy LLP
Narendra K. Ghosh, Patterson Harkavy LLP
Ann McColl, NC Association of Educators
Christine Bischoff, NC Justice Center
Carlene McNulty, NC Justice Center
Education Acronym of the Week
NCSEAA — North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
Quote of the Week
"Preliminary injunction issued!!!!!! Voucher program on hold! a [sic] great victory for the people!"
UNC Center for Civil Rights, Twitter @UNCCivilRights, 12:21 PM Feb 21st
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