The North Carolina Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh (Photo: Clayton Henkel)
North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced Friday that they have reached agreement on a “mini-budget” bill that would expand and clear the waiting list for the state’s controversial Opportunity Scholarships private school voucher program. The lawmakers said they have also agreed to pass a controversial measure that requires cooperation between all North Carolina sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and to approve new funding for the state Medicaid program, rural broadband, and enrollment growth in public schools and community colleges.
The General Assembly departed Raleigh in late June without having passed legislation to adjust the two-year state budget enacted in 2023, as would be the ordinary procedure during the biannual “short session.” Lawmakers will return to Raleigh on Monday. WRAL.com reported that the Senate will vote on the deal on Monday, while the House will vote Wednesday.
The voucher program ran out of money earlier this year before 54,000 students could receive their vouchers. Last year, the General Assembly removed income caps, making all students eligible for vouchers regardless of income.
Despite efforts by Republican leaders to expand the program during the recent session, negotiations stalled over funding details. Republican leaders, who oversee veto-proof supermajorities in both houses, have now reached an agreement that they say will clear the waitlist and fully fund the program for the next decade.
“Families across North Carolina made it clear that they want a greater say in their child’s education,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham in a release. “Whether you’re a single parent, a young family, or in a military household, educational freedom should be attainable for all.”
Gov. Roy Cooper and Democratic lawmakers came out against the plan at a Thursday afternoon press conference. “Let’s use this money for public schools instead,” Cooper said. “When you get wealthy people yet another tax break for these vouchers, it is extremely difficult to get a future legislature to ever take it away.”
The plan allocates $5 billion over the next decade to the private school voucher program, which opponents say will divert funds from public schools.
The state’s largest teacher association said it opposes the voucher expansion. “While the majority of North Carolinians believe in the value of our public schools, some state lawmakers are planning to undermine those schools with a massive expansion of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers,” Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE President said in a statement. “The plan is dangerously irresponsible for the financial health of our state government and threatens the future of local school budgets statewide.”
The agreement also includes a bill that requires local sheriffs to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcment.
North Carolina sheriffs are already required under current state law to try and determine the legal status of people they arrest and inform ICE. However, current law doesn’t require them to honor ICE detainer requests, which ask local authorities to hold someone believed to be in the country illegally for up to 48 hours while federal agents pick them up.
Under proposed legislation in the agreement, however, all 100 sheriffs in the state will be required to notify ICE if they are unable to determine the legal status of a person charged with certain high-level offenses. It would also compel sheriffs to honor ICE requests to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally for up to 48 hours.
“With the inclusion of House Bill 10, we are also reinforcing the rule of law currently ignored by the Biden-Harris administration by requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, strengthening our public safety and protecting our communities,” said House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, in a statement.
Immigrant and civil rights advocates and some sheriffs have long opposed the cooperation mandate, saying it will discourage cooperation between immigrant communities and local law enforcement agencies. In May of this year, Iliana Santillan, executive director of the Triangle-based nonprofit El Pueblo, condemned the proposal, saying, “The lawmakers that have been pushing HB10 forward have claimed that it will improve the safety of our state and only target those who have committed crimes, but we know that in practice, bills like these target Black and Brown, immigrant communities, unnecessarily placing innocent lives at risk for deportation and separating hardworking families for minor incidents such as traffic violations.”
The agreement also increases funding for public schools and community colleges, Medicaid and rural broadband.
“This mini-budget agreement will fund our K-12 and community college enrollment growth, clear the Opportunity Scholarship waitlist to expand school choice to all NC families, will increase funding to keep our Medicaid system fully funded, and will authorize new rural broadband expansion across the state,” Moore said in a release.
House Democratic Leader Robert T. Reives II criticized the voucher expansion plan at yesterday’s press conference, arguing that the plan would harm the most disadvantaged students.
“The bottom line is this: Republicans have rigged the system to benefit the wealthy, while our most vulnerable students are left to fend for themselves,” said Reives II, D-Chatham and Randolph.