In a small Fayetteville church building, Amy Sparks turns grief into love, embracing autistic students with daily hugs and smiles. For families at the School of Hope—where 95% rely on Opportunity Scholarships—she’s a lifeline.
This week on the Debrief, the presidential debate puts the candidates in a dead heat in North Carolina, plus there’s a squabble over the lieutenant governor debate.
On Wednesday, the House passed HB 10, which passed the Senate earlier this week. The multifaceted bill fully funds opportunity scholarships, requires sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, and includes adjustments to the budget proposal.
Parents and private school administrators assembled on Halifax Mall behind the Legislative Building in Raleigh on Wednesday to urge state lawmakers to fully fund the 55,000 students on the Opportunity Scholarship waitlist.
The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority announced March 30 that 13,511 new students in the first award tier have been offered scholarships. Renewal families — those already enrolled in the program — have also been offered scholarships. Families have until April 19 to accept or decline the award offer.
Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, presents House Bill 823 to colleagues on the House floor. The bill is titled “Choose Your School, Choose Your Future.” Cotham offered these comments on May 17, 2023. Video courtesy of ncleg.gov.
Bills to expand the Opportunity Scholarship Program in North Carolina are now on the move in both chambers of the General Assembly, after the House Education Committee approved a measure on Tuesday.
The leader of North Carolina’s branch of a national teachers union is dropping her lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. The news arrives as state legislators debate expanding funding for scholarships in the next state budget.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses a jump in N.C. private school enrollment in 2021-22. Kokai offered these comments during the July 8, 2022, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “Front Row with Marc Rotterman.”
Marie Miller, attorney at the Institute for Justice, explains how the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Carson v. Makin, a case from Maine, could affect North Carolina’s lawsuit challenging the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Miller represents parents defending OSP. She argued on their behalf during a June 8 hearing at the N.C. Court of Appeals.
A procedural decision from the N.C. Court of Appeals could help decide the future of the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. The court’s decision could affect thousands of N.C. families who use scholarships to send their children to private schools.
