RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina General Assembly is heading back to session at noon, and at the top of their agenda is overriding Gov. Roy Cooper's veto on nearly half-a-billion dollars to expand funding for private school vouchers.
Lawmakers meet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and it could be the last chance for Republicans to get the funding passed, with their supermajority set to end next year.
This funding was originally part of House Bill 10, which passed in both Republican-led chambers earlier this year but was vetoed by Cooper.
Now Republicans are pushing to reverse that decision.
One of the bill's sponsors is Rep. David Willis, a Republican from Union County.
He argues the vouchers would help families access better educational opportunities, especially as more than 50,000 students remain on a waitlist for alternatives to public schools.
"Those tax dollars that those families pay each and every year should follow that student and allow the parents to choose the best school, the best educational setting for each child," Willis previously said.
Critics, however, say this would drain much-needed funds from already struggling public schools.
Democratic Rep. Brandon Lofton of Mecklenburg County warns the proposal could further harm an education system facing significant budget and staffing challenges.
“I’m actually seeing more parents, the majority of parents, who are choosing public schools, who want their children in public schools, they’re just upset and feel let down because those of us in Raleigh are not doing our job to support those children that are in the public schools," Lofton previously said. "You cannot educate children on the cheap. You have to have a high quality work force in our teachers and that requires paying them enough to keep them in the classroom.”
As the debate heats up in Raleigh again, all eyes will be on lawmakers to see whether the governor’s veto will be overturned — and what it will mean for students, families, and schools across the state.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.