Americans for Prosperity has submitted a letter to N.C. legislators urging them to lift the cap on the number of families eligible to receive new opportunity scholarships. As highlighted during a rally outside the Legislative Building last week, more than 5,500 families applied for 2,400 available scholarships.
The John Locke Foundation signed on to AFP’s letter, along with the Civitas Institute, Americans for Tax Reform, the N.C. Family Policy Council, and the N.C. Values Coalition.
From AFP’s news release:
The letter urges the General Assembly to allocate an additional $6 to $8 million in funding in order to ensure that all students who apply can receive an Opportunity Scholarship.
“North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program is an important first step towards giving every child the chance to receive a great education – not just those whose parents live in good school districts or can afford private school tuition,” explained Donald Bryson, North Carolina Deputy State Director of Americans for Prosperity. “However, the benefit of this program is currently limited to roughly half the students who are applying for it. Rather than allocate a good education by the luck of the lottery draw, the General Assembly should increase funding for our Opportunity Scholarship program sufficiently so that all eligible applicants can participate.
“Across the political spectrum, both right and left recognize that school choice reform is the civil rights struggle of our day. North Carolina has been a leader in the fight and our legislators are to be commended for their hard work. Now it’s time to advance school choice reform further so that no child’s future is left up to the luck of the draw.”
