Hypocritical Governor Dictates to NC Parents

Mike Long in response to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's self-proclaimed "State of Emergency" in public education:

I must compliment Governor Roy Cooper; he cared enough about his own child's education to determine that his child needed a private school education. 

So, as any good parent who knows better what his child needs at the time, he and his wife made the choice to send that child to a non-public school. Cooper had the economic means to do just that. My question now to the governor is, "Why would you deny the same opportunity to every citizen in the state you lead?"

Education is not one size fits all, and real education reform means shifting from a model that funds systems and schools to a vision for North Carolina education that funds students across our state.

There is nothing more hypocritical than for him to stand behind his beautiful lectern in the governor's mansion and dictate to North Carolina parents that they do not deserve the same opportunities as him when it comes to their child's education. Thankfully, we have leadership in the legislature who believes every parent should have the right and economic opportunity to place their children in any school that best meets their needs. They are not attacking the public schools as the governor claims. They are sending a message that North Carolina will enact real education reform by prioritizing funding for students, not systems.

Make no mistake about it; Governor Cooper has been opposed to Opportunity Scholarships and parental school choice since day one. Even as a school choice parent himself, it was Governor Cooper who called the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program "an expense we should stop in our state," and that was when the scholarships were solely supporting lower-income families.

Governor Cooper's latest attack on parental school choice undermines families, parents, and students in our state who will be empowered with choice in education by expanding the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Perhaps public education would be better served if he asked the question, "Why have 25% of North Carolina's students chosen public charter schools, private schools, and home schools?"

By listening to the answers parents give for making these choices for their children, the governor would be better equipped to provide practical solutions that would prioritize the wants and needs of parents and their children.