Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina Applauds State Budget for Protecting Opportunity Scholarship Funding

Raleigh, NC – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC) commends the North Carolina Senate for the introduction of the state budget which protects funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Program. In a time of fiscal belt-tightening, legislative leaders are sending a clear message: parental school choice remains a top priority. 

The budget maintains funding growth for the Opportunity Scholarship Program over the biennium, ensuring continued access to the state scholarship program that has afforded access to schools of choice for tens of thousands of families across the state. This investment reflects the overwhelming demand for the program, evidenced by its 143% growth in recipients between 2023-24 and 2024-25, and with more than 40,000 parents applying for a scholarship this year alone.  

“We are grateful for the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and lawmakers who continue to stand with families,” said Mike Long, President of PEFNC. “By protecting the funding for Opportunity Scholarships in this budget, they are not only honoring parental demand for this program, but they are reinforcing what we have continued to say all along: education funding should follow the child. As North Carolina continues to shift the paradigm from ‘funding systems’ to ‘funding students,’ today’s budget announcement is yet another example of lawmakers placing the needs of students and families first. For families who have come to rely on North Carolina as a national leader in providing parental school choice, they can consider this budget a reassurance and a victory.” 

For additional information contact Mike Long at (919) 971-0112 or [email protected].