New members in the NC House and Senate next year in combination with revenue limitations imposed by the recently passed constitutional amendments could mean big changes for North Carolina’s voucher program.
This week, the new House majority leader Rep. Robert Reives gave a preview in comments about the Opportunity Scholarship program: “Everybody’s got to play on the same field, and so I can promise you that has been one of the number one topics from any Democrat that has been elected…And candidly, I’ve seen a lot of Republicans that feel like that has gotten a little out of hand. So we’re going to address it.”
How far lawmakers will go in changing (or ending) the program is yet to be seen, but public school advocates agree this program cannot continue to expand.
Governor Stein called for a moratorium on vouchers in his budget proposal last year, citing the need to move voucher funding to public schools. He would phase out the program while allowing lower-income families to continue receiving vouchers until their children graduated from high school. This compromise, instead of just ending the voucher program, would stop the expansion and immediately make more funds available to public schools.
NCDPI also called for a moratorium on vouchers in its FY 2027-28 recommended budget priorities shared with the State Board of Education at its monthly meeting on November 4:
Place a moratorium on expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship program and offer no new awards to students beginning in the 2027-28 fiscal year.
- Redirect the funding appropriated for new Opportunity Scholarships for the 2027-28 fiscal year to addressing needs in our public schools.
- Future funding increases for the Opportunity Scholarship program should be limited to the annual percentage increase in funding for the State Public School Fund
Although Rep. Reives did not call for a voucher moratorium this week, he has in previous years. In 2024, he joined with Governor Cooper to highlight legislation instituting a moratorium on vouchers. HB 993 (SB 853) ended funding for any new students and added a series of accountability measures to bring requirements for private schools more in line with what’s required of public schools.
Calls to limit, redirect, or end private school voucher funding started shortly after vouchers were introduced, but in the pro-voucher environment of the last 15 years, these bills went nowhere. Below are four bills introduced in 2026; none made it past a first reading:
- HB 1178 “The NC Teacher Pay Competitiveness Act” increased teacher pay and also revised eligibility requirements and reduced funds for the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
- HB 1066 “Child Care Stabilization & Affordability Act permitted opportunity scholarship funds to be awarded for pre-K programs.
- SB 439 “Moratorium on Opportunity Scholarships” imposed a moratorium on the award of new opportunity scholarships, to reduce funds available for vouchers, and reallocated additional funds from opportunity scholarships to public schools.
- SB 842 “Cardinal Act” changed eligibility requirements to exclude new voucher recipients from Tier 4 (highest-income tier) families.
Remember the state constitution! It clearly identifies the state’s responsibility toward public education—providing for and funding public schools:
- Article I, Section 15 says “The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.”
- Article IX: Education has ten Sections; several about primary/secondary education are critical: Section 1 says “… the means of education shall be forever encouraged,” Section 2 addresses the duty of the state and local government to provide a uniform system of free public schools “…wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students,” and Sections 5, 6 and 7 reference “free public” schools.
What Would Accountability for Vouchers Look Like?
Lawmakers are very likely to add accountability and transparency rules to the program. Unlike public schools, very little information about private schools is required to be made public. Some schools have only a Facebook page with an address listed; others have no online presence at all.
Lawmakers should require voucher-receiving private schools to post information online so the public can easily access it. Key information such as their tuition/fees, admissions policies, curriculum, graduation rate, test data, and whether they provide transportation or school meals will help parents and others evaluate the school.
Voucher-receiving private schools should also be included in all legislation that imposes requirements on public schools. For example, HB 774 “Criminal History Checks for School Positions” required a criminal history check for public school personnel, but did not include the same requirement for private school personnel.
Our View: Time to End School Vouchers
Public Schools First NC strongly encourages lawmakers to end the voucher program. Public schools have been neglected far too long, as our 50th in the nation ranking for funding effort highlights.
The 2025-26 Facility Needs Survey released by NCDPI last week identified $18 billion in public school facility needs over the next five years. When our public schools have such dire needs, our educators trail the nation in pay, and our teacher pipeline requires substantial investments, there is no way to justify keeping the voucher program.
Our public schools cannot afford another round of budget cuts. We support immediate redirecting of the nearly $800 million earmarked for the voucher programs in 2026-27 to public schools. Taxpayers are obligated to fund public schools per our constitution, and it is not fair to ask taxpayers to fund a private school system that undermines our public schools and their communities.
Check out our website to learn more about vouchers through our reports and fact sheets and see how much has been spent on vouchers in every county.