Public school supporters claim that voucher-accepting private schools are completely unaccountable to the public and represent a black box for how tax dollars are spent.
Voucher supporters counter that claim by asserting that private schools are accountable to the parents who send their children to the school; if the school is not serving students well, parents will leave.
Both statements are true. Private schools have always been accountable to the families that enroll their children. But when a private school chooses to accept public dollars via the state voucher program, the school enters a new realm of accountability…public accountability.
Currently, there is no public accountability for private schools, even those accepting public funds through the voucher program.
The public and lawmakers have always demanded accountability in the public school realm where both traditional public schools and charter schools face public scrutiny at every level, from student outcomes, educator credentials, staff salaries, financial transparency, academic standards, graduation rates, and more.
Even the fine details of classroom and library materials are now under a legislative microscope. For example, the House Standing Committee on Oversight and Reform is engaged in an investigation of library books in Chapel Hill-Carrboro public schools that members allege violate state law (Senate Bill 49/ Parents Bill of Rights). The same bill requires teachers to publish their curriculum materials on schools’ publicly available websites.
Senate Bill 49/Parents Bill of Rights did not include private schools in its provisions. (See a comparison of public and private school requirements.)
Obligations of voucher-accepting private schools are specified in state law, section §115C.562.5. The obligations include providing to “the Authority” (NC State Education Assistance Authority—NCSEAA—the office that administers the voucher program) information that could serve as accountability metrics if the information were made public.
However, there is no public reporting requirement for the voucher-accepting private school data in state law. There are a few non-public requirements.
Schools must report to the NCSEAA:
- the school’s tuition and fees, and
- a criminal background check for the staff member with the highest decision-making authority (there is no background check requirement for teaching staff).
For students whose tuition is paid in part or in full through a voucher, the schools must report to the NCSEAA:
- graduation rates,
- student test scores of students in grades 3 through 8, 9, 10, and 12 (Note that the law requires students in grades 3 and 8 to take a test designated by NCSEAA to enable comparisons with public school students, but that requirement has not been followed. (Read our fact sheet for more information.), and
- ACT scores for students in grade 11.
Private schools must also report to the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) the name and address of the school, the name of the owners and chief administrator, and number of students as of October 1 each year.
A first, very simple step to introduce public accountability to the voucher program would be to require all voucher-receiving private schools to have a website, Facebook page, or other public-facing online presence where basic information is provided: school name, address, grade levels served, tuition, fees, admissions requirements, and academic program (e.g., courses offered, curriculum).
An important second step would include a website similar to the NC School Report Cards website that would provide taxpayers basic information about each school’s academic performance (e.g., test scores, graduation rate), teacher qualifications, student enrollment, and student demographics.
Without these two steps, taxpayers have no way of knowing whether the hundreds of millions in state funds spent on vouchers each year are being wasted.The voucher program really is a black box.
Lawmakers have already spent $1.4 billion on vouchers since the program launched in 2024-15. North Carolinians deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent. What is their ROI?