Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina Celebrates with Families and Students as General Assembly Expands Access to School Choice Scholarships

Raleigh, NC (November 20, 2024) – Mike Long, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, released the following statement regarding the veto override of HB10 from the North Carolina General Assembly. 

"A historic expansion of parental school choice is now a reality in North Carolina. By overriding Governor Cooper’s veto of HB10, the legislature sends a clear message that our state will continue to invest in students over systems.  

Earlier this year, a record number of families applied for Opportunity Scholarships, creating a waitlist of over 50,000 students. Today, students and families need to wait no further, and while we know that thousands of families in our state will benefit from this historic expansion, we have more work to do to ensure that everyone in North Carolina can send their child to the school of their choice.

A special thank you is in order for Senator Phil Berger, Speaker Tim Moore, Representative Destin Hall, and leaders throughout the General Assembly for seeing this over the finish line.

We celebrate with the families who, because of this critical veto override, will receive an Opportunity Scholarship or Special Needs ESA this school year, and we stand ready to help those who missed out this time around apply for and receive a scholarship in 2025.  

While Governor Roy Cooper and Governor-elect Josh Stein continue to discount the idea that parents should be empowered to enroll their child in the learning environment that fits their needs, we believe the opposite. Students' needs should be the focus of North Carolina's education policy, with funding following those students. With this override, the North Carolina General Assembly has listened to the overwhelming demand by parents, and they have officially shifted the paradigm on how quality education can be delivered to students in our state."