North Carolina Senate OKs $500 million for private school vouchers, student accounts

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Senate Republicans pushed legislation through their chamber Thursday to set aside roughly $500 million more for now for programs that provide taxpayer money to help K-12 students attend private schools and eliminate their waiting lists.

On a party-line 28-15 vote, the majority-Republican Senate agreed to spend the money. Almost all of it will cover a surge in demand for Opportunity Scholarship grants since the GOP-dominated legislature agreed last fall to eliminate family income limits to receive a grant.

The bill could reach the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a longtime opponent of private-school vouchers, as soon as next week if the House votes on the Senate language. Republicans have narrow veto-proof majorities in both chambers that could override any Cooper veto.

The end of income caps to qualify for the Opportunity Scholarship program and the repeal of another eligibility requirement led to a six-fold increase in new applications for the coming school year. Nearly 55,000 children who qualified for the program this fall won’t otherwise be able to access funds unless more money is appropriated.