North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has declared that public education across the state is facing a “state of emergency” in an effort to prevent what he says is “extreme legislation” from being passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Cooper, a Democrat, made the claim in a special address on May 22, referencing recently proposed education reform measures by Republicans that he said will “choke the life out of public education.”
Republican lawmakers in the state have proposed Senate Bill 406 (pdf), which has also passed through the Senate’s education committee.
Under the bill, the state’s school voucher program would be expanded so that children in families at any income level could receive North Carolina taxpayer funds to help pay for attendance at K–12 private schools. The voucher program, known as the Opportunity Scholarship Program, was created in 2013.
This would increase the state’s spending on the program from the $133 million allocated for the 2022–2023 school year to $500 million by the 2031–2032 school year.
The bill states that at least 50 percent of the funds will go to children whose families qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.
The governor called on North Carolinians to contact lawmakers to protest the legislation.
During his special address, Cooper noted that while there is “no executive order like with a hurricane or the pandemic,” the unofficial public education state of emergency is “no less important.”
“I’m declaring this a state of emergency because you need to know what’s happening. If you care about public schools in North Carolina, it’s time to take immediate action and tell them to stop the damage that will set back our schools for a generation,” Cooper said.
Republicans argue that the move will level the playing field and ensure that every child has access to quality education, regardless of their background or financial situation.
Cooper, in contrast, wants to phase out the Opportunity Scholarship Program and use the funds elsewhere.
The governor said GOP lawmakers are proposing “pouring billions of dollars in taxpayer money into private schools that are unaccountable to the public and can decide which students they keep out.”
“They want to expand private school vouchers so that anyone—even a millionaire—can get taxpayer money for their children’s private academy tuition,” Cooper said. “When kids leave public schools for private school, the public schools lose hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The governor has been criticized for opposing school choice programs despite reportedly sending his daughter to a private school.
Cooper noted that North Carolina schools currently have more than 5,000 teacher vacancies due, in part, to low wages, which make it harder to recruit and retain educators, he said. He touted his proposal to give teachers an 18 percent pay raise over the next two years.
Republicans have proposed raising teachers’ average salary by 4.5 percent over the next two years, with starting pay for teachers increasing by nearly 11 percent during the same period.
This and other proposals, they say, will help address the state’s needs without breaking the bank.
Former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), who is running for governor of North Carolina in 2024, responded to Cooper’s announcement on Twitter.
“Welcome to North Carolina, the home of the Tar Heels, Bojangles, Krispy Kreme and… executive orders,” Walker said. “Public schools weren’t good enough for his own child but Roy Cooper’s ‘280th’ executive order declares a ‘state of emergency for public education.’ Complete hypocrisy.”
