NC Republicans Override Cooper’s Veto, Allocate Billions to School Vouchers

TL/DR –

The Senate and the House of Representatives have overridden Governor Cooper’s veto of HB 10, a bill that significantly expands North Carolina’s private school voucher system. The bill will add 55,000 possible vouchers for the Opportunity Scholarship, which provides public funds for parents to send their kids to private schools, with a total of $5.8 billion in funding allocated until 2033. Critics, including Governor Cooper and Democratic State Representative Julie von Haefen, argue that the funding should instead be directed to areas of the state recovering from Hurricane Helene and public schools, noting that the majority of North Carolina’s students attend public schools and certain regions of the state have few or no private schools.

The Senate approved an expansion of North Carolina’s private school voucher system Wednesday, overriding Governor Cooper’s veto of HB 10.

The Senate passed HB 10, overriding Governor Cooper’s veto, in a 30-19 vote. This bill will expand the Opportunity Scholarship, offering an extra 55,000 vouchers statewide.

This voucher program expansion allows all income-level students to apply, leading to a total projected spending of $5.8 billion dollars by 2033.

After Tuesday’s House vote to override the veto, Cooper, in a statement last week, criticized them for prioritizing vouchers while Western North Carolina is recovering from Hurricane Helene.

State Rep. Julie von Haefen criticized the Republican supermajority’s priorities during the House debate, noting that the majority of North Carolina children attend public schools.

Some western North Carolina counties with a few or no private schools are most affected.

How Scholarships are awarded

Scholarship funds are awarded based on household income and size, with different tiers receiving different amounts.

Carolina Journal reported that 18.76% of this year’s roughly 72,000 scholarships were awarded to Tier 1.

According to Private School Report, the average tuition cost for the 2024-2025 school year is $11,038, meaning families may still need to cover remaining tuition costs.

What it means

HB 10 will immediately bring an additional $541 million dollars to the Opportunity Scholarship. This will also affect public schools, which lose about $7,500 in state funding per student who leaves for a private school.

North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) President Tamika Walker Kelly criticized the bill’s approval, calling it irresponsible to fund vouchers while public schools remain underfunded and the west recovers from Helene.

Besides expanding vouchers, the bill also mandates North Carolina sheriffs’ cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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