NC approves $463 million more for private school vouchers. What’s next for families?
Thousands of North Carolina families are waiting to find out when they’ll get a private school voucher now that state lawmakers have provided an additional $463 million to clear the state wait list.
The state House and Senate both voted this week to provide the additional Opportunity Scholarship funding over the veto of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Now comes the process of determining which of the 54,000 students on the state’s wait list are still eligible to get a voucher.
Here are some answers to questions about the process.
Who is getting a voucher now?
As of Nov. 4, $185.6 million had been awarded to help 32,549 students attend private schools. The totals are expected to rise now that House Bill 10 has become state law.
The Opportunity Scholarship program has sharply expanded since it started in the 2014-15 school year when only $4.6 million was awarded to 1,216 recipients.
The program initially was promoted by Republican lawmakers as a way to help low-income students escape failing public schools. But the program is now open to any family regardless of their income.
The program’s demographics have also shifted over time. Instead of serving mainly Black students, 63% of the students this school year are white.
Who is eligible for the private school voucher?
Not all 54,000 students on the wait list are still eligible for an Opportunity Scholarship — at least for the fall semester.
In order to get funding for the fall semester, families on the wait list had to have been enrolled in a private school as of Oct. 1. Some families on the wait list were unable to attend a private school without the help of a voucher.
It’s not immediately clear if families on the wait list who aren’t in a private school now will be eligible to get an Opportunity Scholarship for the spring semester.
The N.C. State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) posted on its website Wednesday that it would notify eligible students of their award offers during the first week of December. This includes people who applied by the March 1 deadline who haven’t received an award yet.
The NCSEAA also posted that, in the coming days, it will post Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the additional funding.
Depending on the family’s income, people on the wait list will get $3,360 to $7,468 per child to cover private school costs for the school year. The higher awards will go to families with lower incomes.
Reimbursing parents for money paid
Normally the Opportunity Scholarship is sent to the family’s private school much earlier in the school year. But House Bill 10 became law after families were required to either pay tuition for the fall semester or the full school year.
The new state law says private schools will have to reimburse Opportunity Scholarship recipients who’ve already paid tuition and fees for this school year. The private school is required to:
▪ Directly reimburse any funds paid by the parent for that student within 60 days of the NCSEAA providing the Opportunity Scholarship funding to the school.
▪ Arrange the method of reimbursement with the parent or guardian.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 4:52 PM with the headline "NC approves $463 million more for private school vouchers. What’s next for families?."
