South Raleigh News

As North Carolina legislators consider expanding the state’s private school voucher program, outcomes from other states highlight potential dangers. The consequences of private school voucher schemes are becoming evident nationwide, leading to significant academic and economic impacts for students, taxpayers, and communities.

“Private school voucher programs in other states are hurting students, communities and taxpayers,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Republican lawmakers in North Carolina need to read the writing on the wall and put a moratorium on private school vouchers until our public schools are fully funded.”

Republican leaders of the North Carolina House and Senate agreed to spend an additional $460 million on private school vouchers before pausing negotiations. These funds could be used to invest in public schools, including substantial pay raises for teachers. Other states are already facing consequences from similar voucher program expansions.

Recent reporting from ProPublica found that Arizona has a $1.4 billion budget shortfall due to their universal voucher program, impacting projects such as infrastructure and community colleges.

In Ohio, an evaluation found that “students who use vouchers to attend private schools have fared worse academically compared to their closely matched peers attending public schools.” Private school vouchers cost Ohio taxpayers at least $966.2 million during the last school year.

In Louisiana, a study showed that students using vouchers dropped from the 50th percentile in math to the 26th percentile within a year. Participating students also lost ground academically in reading, science, and social studies.

In Indiana, research indicated significant losses in math achievement for students using vouchers that persisted for multiple years.

In Washington, DC, research revealed that their voucher program resulted in significantly negative impacts on student achievement in math equivalent to missing 68 days of school.

North Carolina ranks near the bottom of all states in K-12 funding, spending nearly $5,000 less per student than the national average. In beginning teacher pay, North Carolina ranks 46th nationally and 11th out of 12 states in the Southeast.

In April, Governor Cooper released his recommended budget for FY 2024-2025 which would invest over $1 billion in North Carolina’s public schools, raise teacher pay by 8.5%, and provide a $1,500 retention bonus for teachers across the board.

Governor Cooper declared 2024 as the Year of Public Schools and has been visiting public schools and early childhood education programs across the state calling for investments in K-12 education, early childhood education and teacher pay.