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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper intends to veto a bill which gives an estimated $625 million in state money to a voucher program that has about 55,000 students on a waitlist, he shared in a telephone interview with the Daily News. 

“This is devastating for education,” Cooper said. “I am going to veto this legislation. They should be putting these resources in our public schools.” 

Backed by Republican legislators, the voucher program, also known as Opportunity Scholarships, gives families the option to place their children in private schools by covering a portion of tuition. Families, depending on their annual income, can receive between $3,000 and $7,000 in financial assistance. Families whose children already attend private schools can apply for and receive Opportunity Scholarships. 

Opportunity Scholarships have existed since 2013; however, income levels determined eligibility. This changed last fall when Republican legislators – who have the majority in the General Assembly – voted to expand Opportunity Scholarships making them available to North Carolina families regardless of their income level. Over 72,000 families applied for private school vouchers this year; however, a small number of those families received them, because they possessed the lowest levels of income. The remaining families were put on a waitlist. 

Opportunity Scholarships, the governor said, could have the largest impact on rural public education. Rural public school districts, like Beaufort County Schools, are having to do more with less money. Public schools, in part, are funded with state money based on the number of enrolled students. If a student leaves the public school district, the district does not receive funding from the state for that student’s education. 

“Rural counties will be hurt the most,” Cooper said. “Most of the private schools getting this taxpayer money are in urban areas. More than a quarter of our rural counties have just one or even no private schools in the voucher program. But nearly half of all private schools in the program are in 10 urban counties.” 

Superintendent of Beaufort County Schools Dr. Matthew Cheeseman wrote in an email to the Daily News, “I recognize the large investment in Opportunity Scholarships by the General Assembly.  However, it is my hope that the possible impacts to Beaufort County Schools will be minimal.”

Beaufort County Schools could lose nearly $500,000 during the 2025-2026 school year despite the county only having three Christian schools participating in the Opportunity Scholarship program, according to data shared by the governor. As of the 2023-2024 school year, 84.3% of children in Beaufort County attend public school. 

On Sept. 9, the North Carolina Senate passed legislation on Opportunity Scholarships (27-17) with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting against. Two days later, the House voted 67-43 with all Republicans and three Democrats voting in favor. 

It’s safe to assume that Republican legislators will work together to override Cooper’s veto, but Cooper when speaking to the Daily News said, “we cannot assume they will override this veto. There are a number of vetoes where they just don’t even take the vote…The numbers are very close and there are a number of Republicans, rural legislators who are beginning to have concerns, because they are recognizing that their constituents are getting the short end of the stick. Most of their constituents are in public schools and they really don’t have anywhere to go where they can use these private school vouchers,” the governor said.  

It’s important to note that Sen. Bob Brinson voted in favor of Opportunity Scholarships, because he is filling a vacant seat that was previously held by Sen. Jim Perry. It was Brinson’s first vote in the State Senate. Attempts to interview Brinson were unsuccessful. 

Rep. Keith Kidwell, a sponsor of Opportunity Scholarships, explained why he supports them. “I think parents need to have the choice of where they send their children be it public school, charter school, home school, private school, doesn’t matter.” 

It is Kidwell’s belief that a taxpayer who has a school aged child is entitled to a return on investment, because a portion of their taxes goes to the state which funds education. The state should give parents the ability to choose where their child goes to school, because the state collects taxes which fund public education and potentially, private school vouchers. 

“There’s nothing that says we have to use public school so if they want to use private school, home school, whatever it is, the money should follow the child,” Kidwell said. 

One of the criticisms of Opportunity Scholarships is that funding going to a voucher program could be used instead to raise teacher pay or improve public education. To this, Kidwell explained, “…what we’re doing is giving people the freedom to educate where they choose, and that’s what America is all about is freedom.It’s not that we say, ‘we’re only going to fund public schools.’ We’re supposed to fund education. It does not say public schools.” 

Kidwell said an override could be expected by Dec. 31, 2024. 

As mentioned by Governor Cooper, Beaufort County has three private schools; however, his comment needs to be clarified to state that Beaufort County has three Christian schools:  Unity Christian Academy in Chocowinity, Terra Ceia Christian School in Pantego and Pungo Christian Academy in Belhaven. Beaufort County does not have any non-religious private schools. 

Detractors of Opportunity Scholarships, like Cooper, argue that private and Christian schools are not required to serve all students regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs – a standard public schools are required to follow. 

Christian schools have the ability to either accept or reject applications depending on applicants’ willingness to uphold Christian beliefs. In the event a prospective student’s application is rejected, the student can either attend public school or apply to a different Christian or private school. 

Unity Christian Academy is a K-12 school that provides students with a classical Christian education. It is led by K-12 principal Mandi Stone. “Because we are not an open admission school, we’re selective,” Stone said.

At Unity, applicants are expected to complete an entrance exam and an admissions essay for students K through 12, a meeting with their prospective principal and are expected to have references from a previous school and a faith representative (either a pastor or youth pastor). 

“Really for us, the standard of admission isn’t all academic. It’s absolutely behavior – will this student be able to pursue our mission, will this family pursue our mission which is to graduate authentic Christian leaders. If you’re not on board with that concept, it’s very difficult that you’re going to be successful here at our school,” Stone said. 

“We have actually refused to re-enroll students that were on the scholarship, because they were not meeting academic or behavior standards at our school,” Stone added.

Martin Gelderman, principal of Terra Ceia Christian, explained in an email to the Daily News that, “Terra Ceia Christian School welcomes families who seek a Christ-centered education for their children. An application process ensures that the school and family are on the same page regarding Christian education. This Christian education is offered within the context of resources available to us.” 

Another criticism of Opportunity Scholarships is that most families who apply already have children attending either a private or Christian school, and many people who use Opportunity Scholarships won’t be students transferring from public schools. 

Both Unity and Terra Ceia have offered Opportunity Scholarships to families since 2013. 

To attend Unity Christian Academy, annual tuition can range from $4,500 for a full day of preschool to $7,200 for K-12. Out of Unity’s total 163 students in K-12, 89 are on Opportunity Scholarships which equates to 55%, Stone said. Those 89 students are either on whole or partial scholarships.

Stone said when legislators expanded Opportunity Scholarships, “most of our people that had been here since their child was in third grade and they’ve got a junior…they were like, ‘oh, this is awesome.’ So then they applied for it last year.” 

Unity offers tuition assistance to families who were unable to receive an Opportunity Scholarship. 

To attend Terra Ceia, annual tuition costs $7,468; however, the school offers a grant worth $1,148 that is applicable to families who do not receive any other assistance. Gelderman wrote that half of the total 154 students who attend Terra Ceia utilize the scholarship. 

“North Carolina’ cost-adjusted, per-pupil funding level was $10,791, which is $4,695 below the national average. Out of all 50 states and D.C., North Carolina was ranked 48th for funding level,” EdNC reports. This numbers were adjusted for inflation, but do not include federal dollars.

Those who oppose Opportunity Scholarships say private and Christian schools are not required to “report on how students are performing; hire licensed teachers; teach a curriculum based on the state’s academic standards; provide services for students with disabilities; provide meals or transportation for students,” the governor’s office shared. 

Stone and Gelderman responded to each of the claims, explaining that much of what’s required for public schools is required for Christian school, but it looks a little different. 

Unity Christian Academy, and all non-public schools are held to standards set by the Division of Non-Public Education (NC DNP) which is under the North Carolina Department of Administration. 

The division requires non-public schools to administer a nationally standardized test or a nationally standardized equivalent to either all students or students in the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh grade. All students on Opportunity Scholarships are required to take a nationally standardized test annually. At Unity, students in the third through twelfth grade are tested annually using the Classic Learning Test. The test gives Unity administrators data on student performance. 

“To me, this is the most rigorous test as an educator that I’ve seen. It’s very much adapted to our values and our beliefs at this school,” Stone said. “We are transparent with the Opportunity Scholarship. We have to turn in our results every year to them. We also have to turn in our results to NC DNP should they ask for those. We are very transparent with our parents, our stakeholders, they are the main concern. So they get reports as soon as we get the data back.” 

Terra Ceia Christian School students also take a standardized test each year, Gelderman wrote. 

In addition, Terra Ceia Christian is a member of both the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Christian Schools International (CSI). Unity Christian Academy is working to become a member of the Association of Classical Christian Schools, which takes five to seven years to complete.  

The Division of Non-Public Education does not require Christian schools to hire licensed teachers. A majority of Unity’s 31 staff members are retired public school teachers with years of experience, Stone said. Its staff is also composed of young teachers whose children attend Unity. 

At Terra Ceia, “teachers of core subjects need to have a Bachelor of Arts degree and teacher certification.  If a teacher is not certified, that becomes a goal to achieve,” Gelderman wrote. 

Finally, a criticism of private, Christian schools is that they are not equipped to teach students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can apply for Opportunity Scholarships under the NC Education Student Accounts program. 

“North Carolina’s Education Student Accounts (ESA+) program is available to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Funds may be used to pay tuition and fees for eligible private schools, and for expenses such as speech therapy, tutoring services, and educational technology,” the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority’s website shares. 

Because Unity is a small school, they are able to accommodate students with either academic or behavioral challenges but not both, Stone said. Currently, they do not have a teacher on staff who is licensed to teach students with disabilities. They do, however, partner with Beaufort County Schools to provide speech therapy to students who require it, and it is a need requested by parents.  

“Typically for me, it’s either academics or behavior for most students,” Stone said. “If it’s both, I’m very up front and I say, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to be able to help you just because this is just a lot going on, and I don’t want to do a disservice to your family or to your child.’ But typically if it’s one or the other, we can work with that, but it will definitely be a need-by-need basis.” 

Stone shared that a current eleventh grade student transferred from the public school system to Unity four years ago, because their parents were “brokenhearted” about academic and social  experiences the student had in a public school. Unity teachers worked to adapt classroom instruction to help the student succeed. That student is on track to graduate from Unity.