In the News
As the source for parental school choice in our state, PEFNC is often asked to provide commentary on educational choice.
National School Choice Week begins next week
By A.P. Dillon
January 17, 2024
RALEIGH — National School Choice Week this year will be held from Jan. 21 through Jan. 27.
According to National School Choice Week’s (NSCW) official website, over 27,000 events are planned across all 50 states. Additionally, 70 flagship events in 46 states will be held this year.
Notable annual events being held in North Carolina include:
Jan. 24 – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina will hold an event that includes a student showcase, student performances and remarks from legislative leaders from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its office in Raleigh. NSCW considers this a “flagship” event. Registration for the event is requested: https://www.pefnc.org/schoolchoiceweek2024
Where do NC students go to school? Trends show decline at traditional public schools
December 28, 2023
The share of North Carolina students attending traditional public schools has fallen as more students move to public charter schools, private schools and home schools.
Back in 2013, about 85% of North Carolina students attended their local K-12 public school. Last school year, that percentage fell to fewer than 77%, because more students have moved to other methods of schooling.
Enrollment at charter schools and private schools has grown steadily year-over-year for the past decade. The share of students being homeschooled grew annually until it peaked in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If these trends continue, it will have financial consequences for the public school districts that still serve a large majority of students and are required to accept all students regardless of their needs.
NC is a national leader in charter and private school growth. Good news or a threat?
North Carolina has been one of the fastest-growing states in enrollment for private schools and charter schools since the COVID-19 pandemic. The state had the nation’s fifth-highest growth in private school enrollment since the 2019-20 school year, according to data released Tuesday by the Associated Press. During that same time period, North Carolina had the third-highest growth rate in the nation in charter school enrollment, according to a report released last week. The growth in charter schools and private schools coincides with continuing declines in enrollment in traditional public schools.
It’s a trend that could accelerate with state lawmakers approving universal private school vouchers and making it easier for charter schools to get approved and to add more students.
“North Carolina has shifted culturally and ideologically to where more people across the state say families should be empowered with school choice,” Brian Jodice, vice president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, said in an interview. “Parents should be able to choose where they want to go regardless of their ZIP code or their income.”
Enrollment at traditional public schools declines for the first time since pandemic
November 28, 2023
Public school enrollment has increased slightly in North Carolina since the last school year. However, for the first time since the pandemic, traditional public schools observed a decrease in students while charter school enrollment continues to rise.
In October, the state Department of Public Instruction released its first look at how many students are in the state’s public schools for the 2023-24 school year.
According to the state’s most recent numbers, traditional public schools lost 0.4% of students from last year to this year and are down 3.6% overall from before COVID-19. Charter schools gained 4.5% over last year and are up 24.6% from before the pandemic.
School Choice for Eastern North Carolina
October 14, 2023
The landscape for school choice in North Carolina has drastically changed in our state after the NC General Assembly passed its budget. There has been much debate and heated rhetoric around this issue. However, it is important to share the facts about the expanded school choice opportunities most specifically the Opportunity Scholarship.
Over the coming months, this column will seek to provide a clear and concise view of the school choice landscape. After the global pandemic of COVID19, parents have explored their educational options that have included: charter, home, private and public schools.
North Carolina becomes ninth state to approve universal school choice
By David Hicks
October 6, 2023
North Carolina lawmakers have approved a sweeping expansion of its Opportunity Scholarship Program, providing more school choice for children in The Tar Heel State. In doing so, the state joins Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia in approving universal school choice; expanding educational opportunities for more families.
The Republican-led legislature passed the expansion of the program, begun in 2014. Democrat Governor Roy Cooper, an opponent of school choice, announced he will allow the legislation to become law without his signature. Interestingly, Governor Cooper, like Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, opposes school choice for all but his family.
Teacher raises, school lunches, early graduation, AI, career development. Here's what's in the NC budget for education
September 22, 2023
The $30 billion state budget includes new policies, in addition to funding increases, for education.
When it comes to education, the $30 billion North Carolina budget includes more than just school employee raises.
The budget proposal includes more than $100 million more each year for private school vouchers, and it extends the deadline to comply with provisions of the new Parents’ Bill of Rights to January, while schools work out the questions they have.
It provides an average raise of 7% over two years for teachers, though the most experienced teachers would receive raises of just 3.6%.
The budget, largely crafted by leaders of the Republican-controlled legislative chambers, has faced opposition from Democrats who say it doesn’t provide enough in employee pay raises and provides too much for school vouchers. Republicans argue many parents want more access to private schools.
Parents for Educational Freedom in NC, a group that supports private school options for families, released a statement Wednesday favoring the budget and its expansion of “school choice.”
“This is a sound budget for education in North Carolina, and another step in the right direction of expanding education funding that prioritizes students over systems,” the group’s president, Mike Long, said in the statement.
Proposed state budget would give more families money for private school vouchers
September 21, 2023
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new budget proposed by Republican leaders in the General Assembly includes billions of dollars impacting North Carolina schools.
Some highlights of the budget include teacher pay raises, a private school voucher expansion, and delays in controversial laws.
The proposed state budget shows an average 7% increase in teacher pay for the next two years. For a beginning teacher that's an extra $2,000. It raises a new teacher's pay from $37,000 to $39,000.
NC State Budget Draft expands voucher program for private schools
September 20, 2023
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Under the new budget draft, all North Carolina students could be eligible for vouchers to attend private school, regardless of income level.
The move would give students money to put toward a private school education, but could mean less money for public schools.
Rosie Mayberry, from Asheboro, used the state’s voucher program to send her children to private school. She described it as a “great experience,” but said, at the time, only two of her three children qualified for vouchers. She said her oldest daughter did not meet the requirement, at the time, to have previously attended public school. “We had to withdraw from the program because of the financial burden from our oldest daughter because we were having to pay completely out of pocket for her,” she noted.
NC private school enrollment is soaring, and it could rise even more. Here’s why.
By T. Keung Hui
August 2, 2023
A historic expansion of North Carolina’s school voucher program could come at the same time that enrollment in private schools is rising at near-record levels.
New statewide figures released this week show that enrollment in private schools grew by 11,457 students during the 2022-23 school year. Private schools haven’t added this many students since the 1971-72 school year, when they gained 11,764 kids during the fight over public school integration.
There are now 126,768 students attending private schools, a 10% increase from the prior year. The number could rise even more as Republican lawmakers want to allow any family to be eligible to apply for a private school voucher.
“It just shows you that parents want choice plain and simple,” Mike Long, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, said in an interview Wednesday. “More and more parents want choice. They want what’s best for their kids.”