What’s good for the goose…

Next year, North Carolina’s voucher program will receive upward of $400 million from the state and by 2032, that will increase to over $500 million. This money will funnel millions of dollars away from helping public schools in low-income communities. This money will also help pay the tuition for students to attend private schools who, for the most part, never attended public schools.

Under the guise of an increased demand for school choice, parents fought to use their vouchers as they see fit. Last year, the government eliminated an income cap as an eligibility requirement to receive a private school voucher (ncnewsline.com). Prior to this ruling, families had to demonstrate financial need and have children currently attending pubic schools or etering K, 1st, or 2nd grade (notesfromthechalkboard).

Now wealthy families who were already paying for private schools can funnel that money and have taxpayers footing the bill for their private schools. This from a General Assembly that refused to create more pre-K opportunities for low income families, yet make it easier for wealthy families to get a free/subsidized private school education (ncnewsline.com).

The admissions requirements for Fayetteville Christian School (FCS) are very specific about who can/cannot apply. FCS accepts public funding from vouchers but is very clear about discriminating against families that engage in “illicit drug use, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality (LGBT) or other behaviors that Scripture defines as deviate and perverted” (notesfromthechalkboard).

Families must also be in “full agreement with the FCS Statement of Faith and have received Jesus Christ as their Savior. In addition, the parent and student must regularly fellowship in a local faith based, Bible believing church. Accordingly, FCS will not admit families that belong to or express faith in non-Christian religions such as, but not limited to : Mormons (LDS Church), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims (Islam), non-Messianic Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. (notesfromthechalkboard).

North Raleigh Christian Academy (NRCA) has a non-discriminatory policy… except that it requires “at least one biological, adoptive, or legal guardian parent has a clear Christian testimony of accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior” NRCA is also very clear about not accepting students with special needs: (notesfromthechalkboard). 

And just when you think it can’t get any more egregiously inequitable or discriminatory, comes the announcement that voucher school students are no longer required to take the NC End-of-Grade (EOG) or End of Course (EOC) exams. (publicschoolsfirstnc.org). These tests are aligned to the curricula taught in NC public schools.

Education reformers have spouted about testing and accountability since No Child Left Behind. But now, in NC, they’re allowing voucher schools to discriminate agains students and families, and not be held accountable for students learning. Rather than requiring voucher students to take the EOG or EOC exams as do all 220,000 children in grades 3 and 8 attending public schools in NC, these schools would be required to take a nationally standardized test – which would not align to NC curriculum standards.

An analysis by the Office of State Budget and Management found the expansion of voucher schools could cause public schools to lose anywhere from $101.9 million to $305.7 million, with particularly big cuts (as big as 8%) for public schools in low-wealth and rural counties (publicschoolsfirstnc.org).

So in North Carolina, voucher schools can discriminate by religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability. Voucher schools don’t have to be accredited or state approved, can hire unlicensed teachers, be exempt from a regulated curriculum and state testing, have no required school hours or days, and within the next eight years will spend a half a billion dollars to promote these schools.

Public schools must meet all of these requirements, and then some. I guess what’s good for the goose, isn’t always good for the gander.

These are my reflections for today.

February 16, 2024

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