Governor Cooper holds firm on attacking scholarships, denying low income families equal access in education by eliminating the Opportunity Scholarship Program
Raleigh, NC – Mike Long, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, released the following statement regarding Governor Roy Cooper’s proposed budget:
“Once again, Governor Roy Cooper has proposed a state budget that fails to meet the growing demand and need from families seeking equal access to the school of their choice. By cutting funding for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program, Cooper is holding firm on his belief that the scholarship program (which currently provides support to over 16,000 students from lower income households) is “an expense we should stop in our state.” (Governor Cooper in his own words)
The Opportunity Scholarship Program, and the thousands of students the program serves, is an investment not an expense.
Currently, over 6,000 new applications have been submitted for Opportunity Scholarships for the 2021-22 school year. Governor Cooper’s budget slams the schoolhouse door in the faces of those families and students.
As common as tomato sandwich day is at the General Assembly, so is a Roy Cooper budget that cuts scholarship funding for families and students. With that in mind, here is what we have said about this the last few times Governor Cooper has cut this funding. You might as well just copy and paste again this time around,” said Mike Long.
“This should be a time to work to reduce disparities in educational access, because a year of a global pandemic has greater illustrated the need to embrace educational choice. Instead of giving parents and families that opportunity to find the best educational option for their children, Governor Cooper is doubling down on cutting funding for scholarships that provide families those needed resources,” added Long.