North Carolina budget significantly expands Opportunity Scholarship Program

The American Federation for Children celebrates North Carolina’s recently passed budget for its strong support of school choice and major expansion of the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program. Today the bill was signed and approved by Governor Pat McRory.
“We join our allies, Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, in thanking Senate Majority Leader Berger, legislative leadership and the Governor for their commitment to providing North Carolina students options and access to a world class education,” said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. “The major expansion of the North Carolina Opportunity meets the demand of parents in the state and will give educational opportunity to thousands of children in the future.”
The budget will significantly increase funding for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program, giving scholarships to nearly 36,000 low-income students over the next 10 years. It also will increase overall K-12 spending by $500 million, including for teacher salaries and the Children with Disabilities Scholarship Grant.
The North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program currently serves over 3,600 children from low-income families. The expansion of program funding would help to meet the widespread demand for scholarships. Funding will increase from $44 million for the 2017-18 school year to almost $145 million for the 2027-28 school year – allowing over 36,000 students to receive a scholarship through the program.