Press Releases

Raleigh (January 27, 2020) – Students, parents, teachers, and school leaders will celebrate educational access for all at a National School Choice Week rally in Charlotte on Friday, January 31, running from 10am to 11am at the Discovery Place in uptown. Sponsored by Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), the state’s leading voice for parental choice in education, the event will include a Student Showcase, highlighting the various talents of students in the greater Charlotte area.

Raleigh (January 27, 2020) – Applications for North Carolina’s trio of school-choice scholarship programs—the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), Children with Disabilities Grant (CWD), and Education Savings Account (ESA)—are set to open this week (applications are officially open on January 31st), reports Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), the state’s leading voice for school choice.

Major disconnect between Governor and low-income working families who rely on scholarships

Raleigh (August 5, 2019)– Mike Long, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), released the following statement today in response to Governor Roy Cooper’s appearance on Education Matters over the weekend. Governor Cooper said that he vetoed the budget, in part, due to “unaccountable private-school vouchers” that “siphon money away from our public schools.” He further claimed that “we have no way of knowing if the students who are going to these private schools are getting the kind of education that they need.” The Governor also admitted that he wanted to eliminate funding for the program.

More than a trend, record enrollment in non-traditional schools continues to rise

PEFNC celebrates empowering parents through educational choice, helps 10,000+ to date in 2019

Raleigh, NC (July 24, 2019) – Mike Long, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), released the following statement as new statewide figures point to another year of increased enrollment in non-traditional schools in the state. Of the 1.8 million North Carolinians enrolled in K-12 schools, just over 20 percent (around 354,000 students) are now attending public charter, private, or home schools, while attendance in traditional public schools has dipped below 80 percent, highlighting a major shift in educational choice in North Carolina.

Raleigh, NC (May 8, 2019) – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC) applauds bipartisan legislation passed today by the North Carolina Senate.Senate Bill 609, sponsored by Senators Deanna Ballard (R-Watauga), Ben Clark (D-Cumberland), and Todd Johnson (R-Union), expands access to the state’s three parental school choice K-12 programs.

Raleigh, NC (April 5, 2019) – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC) applauds a bipartisan trio of North Carolina senators—Deanna Ballard (R-Watauga), Ben Clark (D-Cumberland), and Todd Johnson (R-Union)—for introducing legislation that would expand access to the state’s three parental school choice K-12 programs.

Raleigh, NC (March 6, 2019) – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC) issued the following statement today on Governor Cooper’s proposed budget for the next two years that reduces and ultimately eliminates funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Arrival of Ford, Avila reinforces bipartisan school choice coalition

Raleigh (February 28, 2019) – North Carolina’s leading voice for parental choice in education, Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), is proud to announce two new members to the organization’s Board of Directors: Joel Ford represented Mecklenburg County for three terms in the North Carolina Senate and Marilyn Avila represented Wake County for five terms in the North Carolina House.

Raleigh (February 20, 2019) – Applications for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program remain robust heading into the program’s sixth year of operation, reports Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), the state’s leading school choice advocacy organization.

Mike Long, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, issued the following statement today in celebration of National School Choice Week: