“One Of 4,500” Campaign

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research and education organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family enough in the studio. Here's John Rushton, president of the North Carolina family policy Council and thank you for doing this. We profamily policy matters is our pleasure to have Darrell out with us on the program. Darrell is president of parents for educational freedom in North Carolina or PEF MC where he leads strategic efforts to redefine the meaning of public education in North Carolina. Darrell was with us to talk about a new campaign.

The PE FNC has launched: one of 4500 campaign highlights the stories of the thousands of parents in North Carolina who applied for the state's new opportunity scholarship program in educational scholarship program enacted by the Gen. assembly in July 2013 that is currently on hold due to a federal lawsuit.

We will be talking with Darrell about the new campaign and its purpose. He also will be sharing some of the stories featured in the campaign as well Darrell, it's great to have you back on the program with us just great to be with you Jewish well thank you.

We talk about the new campaign. Darrell tell us briefly about the opportunity scholarship program and thought it was something that the Gen. assembly enacted during this last legislative session, and as you know, this is pastor 2013 and in and in it so much needed beat beat the opportunity scholarship program is a plan put in place to address the need and what we know in our state enough product oriented art or numbers that come from the Department of Public instruction, low income children that are currently in our traditional public school system. Only 29% of them are proficient in the main courses of math and reading.

And so� It's that devastating. A lot of ways not John because he giveth you light up a thousand students in any given county in about 100 counties are more than 700 of those low-income students would've failed to be proficient in our traditional public schools, and it's been that way for work not only years but decades and so our elected officials begin the opportunity scholarship program is not something that was just created for the first time in North Carolina, but they beat they been looking at other states, including the District of Columbia that it started other programs from electronic target programs is going to help low-income children be able to find the education that they needed to be up to scholarship program in North Carolina was designed up to $4200 for low-income children that are currently in the public school system in the 100% free and reduced lunch so you you talking about for family or for a little bit about $44,000 for family of four or below. Targeting those low income families object low-income students are currently in the public school system because again those are where we were sitting at their data fallen through the cracks. The most schools and creating a pathway for them to be to get a $4020 tuition how to be able to attend your one of the 685. Private schools are state of North Carolina and so that was the day picnic mindset around the gap to discuss her program for those low-income children to get we talk about a $2 million allocation that would've just been available for about 2400 students know Darrell.

As I mentioned earlier the opportunity scholarship program which you just provided a great review of his currently being challenged in the lawsuit that was filed by opponents of school choice in North Carolina shortly after the bill was enacted, tell us briefly about the lawsuit in who was behind it and in an important note, John.

That as well as you, which are stored the background urine fighting the good fight. Often times what you see is nothing new under the sun rise North Carolina particularly Unocal revolutionary programs like Scholarship program of school choice about reform over looking at options other than a traditional school. What you will find is that there is a fierce hard battle legislative ramp policy ramp and into once you come to prevail bear there immediately believe there are lawsuits that identify out and made you got a kind of fight the fight all the judicial foot to preserve that we had. The original simile and in and in and by large goes with that you point to school choice programs have survived the United States Supreme Court had ruled twice now in favor of school choice soap soap so we feel comfortable. John and saying that ultimately own the decision regarding the opportunity scholarship program. Its current design what was intended to do.

We feel like ultimately we will prevail all the time� No Johnny, you know, the courts take its own course. All time. And so we may not know into another year or so. Ultimately, you know where the court stated your North Carolina choice up to discuss her program on the B lawsuits were filed mainly by your is fatal to dissociation across teachers group as well as the Norcross school Board Association.

They said it will file suit in a bid and so we we been in the court now Superior Court spiritual level. It was appellate appellate court what we were most of surprised by an and unnerved by the Superior Court judge was actually went a step beyond to say that the threat of the opportunity scholarship program to start this fall is so great of an adverse impact to the state of North Carolina and citizen that were going to go the extra mile to join the program to complete an injunction in place to stop the program so the real sense John to be very honest with you right now.

Where were fighting that injunction we made the appeal to the Superior Court of the Institute for Justice is made appeal to the to the north Austin state Supreme Court and were happy to say back to you recently that the Gen. assembly of the powers of the house. The speaker of the house and for the president of airpower now to have Bob to select legal counsel to represent and intervene on own cases of importance to to their particular needs and Windows measures are coming or dealing directly with politics and so they have also found interventions are to be able to go to the our state Supreme Court here North Carolina to accept the injunction be lifted � the fight will fight with Val because John were concerned that when you look at the program we were supposed to have this in operation for the fall's upcoming school year of 2014. My fear is that that with each ticking day we are going to be short on on achieving that goal because it is so many families that desperately need. This is not all eyes are to this Supreme Court. It is the disjuncture about the families that are involved with this company applications that the state received from low income parents for opportunity scholarship. Prior to the trial court ruling that has temporarily halted the program during the lawsuit and what does the number of applications in your opinion, tell us about the demand for school choice programs like this in North Carolina which is a question that what we heard constantly from critics and his program was fiercely debated in original simile you know you heard standpoint will love these poor families are interested in finding an education. It's gonna work for them. The parents not engage your quality issue with your performance of of our school system and educated student because you know no one cares. Also, with $4200 you know that that would be enough. So again in a low income working-class families and I would be interested because it can come up with the difference nor did they decide to come up with a different know if a private school tuition is more than that in less than 25 days of application process. Our state had over 5500 student applications command from across the state and one of me from across the state. I mean from across the state, we had at least one application from 95 counties of the 100 counties in North Carolina and we more than doubled the subscription for the program. John based on those numbers and and and and when you dig a little deeper was also really really intriguing.

We talk about low income children and you start breaking out in terms of above, there there there socioeconomic status things that nature about 75% of the applications that came in from low-income families, from the Afro-American and Latino families in North Carolina and got us a little note, but is a big no, you look at those numbers in terms of the oversubscription can automate national history. To be honest with you that they believe everything the program in its first year of existence maxed out for the double the size of terms of of interest from plug-in low income families.

The very families that again wishing students that are 70% failure rate in terms of traditional public school we came from a family is that we don't have an option itself know the numbers really spoke for themselves in handout. We were very very proud of that. So really overwhelming demand of the very families that they needed most. Well, that's where the rubber really needs the lead on this program and I know that parents for educational freedom in North Carolina and a number of other groups really promoted the fact that these opportunity scholarships had been made available to the legislature and there certainly were a lot of distraught individuals who would made application for the program so that their children will have these educational options that they would have these opportunities in them. The court came in and just and and blocked it down as you said don't tell us about PDF and sees new video and social media campaign which I've mentioned before is called one of 4500. The purpose of the campaign tell us little bit about that you know it could be very honest with you, and I current dialogue with other numbers with you� You will be had over 5500 feet application or caveman application from 90,100 counties and still we had more time on the clock if you will. And this all happened within 25 data. So you hear those big numbers John. You know all wanted numbers do kinda speak for themselves. But in this case particular with the kind of opportunity scholarship program. You just can't leave it there so what we found is that we needed to take another another level that heretofore give her from advocates like myself who support the program. It advocates like in CAE and that didn't current school Board Association oppose a legislator's analysis is the measure that was hotly debated from the legislators of the left and right that they were affordably gifted and in in right now we hear from lawyers and all of both sided out here dude who debated for debating against litigating against the gap to discuss your programs become a lost enough in the South as they say, was a pair why, what's the word. These parents get more than 5500 applications committed to the state of which you qualified about 4500 student application. What made these parents apply it so we thought we need to go a step beyond so we decide to do with exit breaker breaker.

I stayed up the region to say luck with that. Check out the coastal side of our state with a check into the triangle. The triad of the Piedmont and even the mountains and what go to get a collection of families for each of those regions who will be willing to share their story of the baby that that that qualified John the applied, but as a result of of of kind of the public.

The overreach from about courts were temporary denied the opportunity scholarship program and so they can share that personal story that they are one 4500 and so it is really taken out. Well we we packed up our total 25 videos from each of those regions and we losses, campaign, social media campaign to really make sure that I solicited that in the powers of the interstate, but before we know make an ultimate decision on this on this program, we gotta make sure that we are hearing from the parent and so that that's what this campaign was so was focused on were so excited about again was a Herculean effort so well working to make sure that our focus is interstate know exactly why this program is so very important to get directly from the families themselves were nearly out of time.

For this we work in our listeners go to view the stories of the Carolina parents who applied for and because of this court ruling have been denied these opportunity scholarships, yet they could visit our website@pefandsee.org that's appear to parents is education apposite freedom is in North see the Carolina PDF itsy.org and they will be inspired. I promise you that your Allison thank you so much for your great work in promoting parental choice in education in North Carolina for all that you do parents for educational freedom in North Carolina and for sharing your time to talk about this very important issue would greatly appreciate it. John, thank you for your time to greatly reduce establish great work.

Your friend have developed on family policy matters in information and analysis featured the North Carolina family policy Council join us weekly for discussion on policy issues affecting the family. If you have questions or comments. 91 907-0800 or visit our website and single-family.org and