NC’s Opportunity Scholarship Program

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 joining family policy matters. It is our pleasure to have Darrell Allison with us on the program as president of parents for educational freedom in North Carolina or PEF and see where he leads strategic efforts to redefine the meaning of public education in our state there was with us to talk about North Carolina's opportunity scholarships program and education scholarship program enacted by the Gen. assembly in July 2013 that is aimed at empowering parents and lower income families to have more options regarding where their children go to school. The program is currently being challenged in federal court by the North Carolina Association of educators and the North Carolina Justice Center and we will be talking about that lawsuit and constitutionality of school choice programs such as North Carolina's Darrell was great to have you with us on the program John Atchley pleasure to be with you. Don't tell us about the opportunity scholarship program and how it expands parental choice in education in North Carolina. Yeah it is a very much-needed program. John would always like to do is when talking about chores always look at it from the standpoint of where words in need and talking about options exist in nature to meet needs to be focus from that perspective, particularly you talking outside of the traditional way of how we educate our children.

We know that in North Carolina we have your 1.6 million children there that are educated in the traditional public school system, homegrown boy, go to a lot of the product of the traditional public school system PT 12 not my daughter is in the public school system itself. We know that for the most part, of families across our state can't utilize Outlook to our traditional school system in large part to educate children and so that's a good thing is the other thing that we went a little.

We want to look at it. That is when we come to DPI weekly. Getting no annual statistics and figures and stats on how our kids are doing annexes to what we've seen quite some time.

John is that for the low income population, where the traditional publishing system is solely find any case. In most cases the only option for families were saying a disparate number of analog disparate number for low-income cute performance compared to middle-class upper income continued to the traditional school system is upwards of 30, 35% achievement gap. What were saying in our in a traditional school system the way we have done. It is the situation of this issue.

Outcome of consequences that wanted to do. They want attention, up, down, intended that basically the idea of spinning schools in into zoning those schools where you live, algebraic understand the neighborhood school model who want want to walk down the block and drop the kids off to school to pick him up in the evening, what with findings will we have these huge pockets of poverty, challenge communities of family breakdown if you will, which is really at house level in the low income communities that the schools that that that they are zoned to the traversal schools that they are zoned to the low income. I would be safety teachers are not the highest quality.

The quality of education is not where it needs to be for low income kids and where you have upper middle class families and things that make units that may be Traditional public school as an option because of where they live week we are saying that the schools in which they are zoned to other pretty adequate and so and if they're not how those families have the ability to send a child to a private school pack up and move to a district.

Our schools are better before you low-income kids not so much the case itself.

The updated scholarship program as part of concern and extends Connecticut underscores the importance up in our Constitution that every child regardless of where you live, your income is entitled to a good adequate education were not finding that in a low income families. Because of this disease that we see 70% of low income children failed to be proficient in in in an hour and up traditional public schools, and so we cannot turn a deaf ear a blind eye to that we must take action.

I commend the leadership about parts of leadership terms dispositive opportunity scholarship program is trying to provide additional options for families who are desperate need of such know-how will the opportunity scholarship program work and how my parents determine if they are eligible for this program the opportunity scholarship program in order to be eligible to part one of its free and reduced lunch, so percent free and reduced lunch population. So, for family up to the parent and the child that's about $28,000. Also income a year and if your family for a little under $44,000 a year for that household income again putting the target and make sure that you identified that free reduced lunch population so you beat that threshold. The other thresholds that your child has to currently be in the public school system. Again, we know that there are real problems in the traditional processes of bowel artwork. Many low income families and so the program is designed for those families that are currently introduced postal system where the schools are there, so too is not working for them and also they have to meet the income commercial free, reduced lunch if you qualify for those two areas. They would then be eligible for participating in the opportunity scholarship program and that scholarship is $2200 per year. If I understand correctly toward the tuition of a public school student.

Her current public school student that Dan would utilize those resources in order to go to a private school Christian school or a school of the parents choice absolutely in your writeup you qualify for up to $4200. We bear their spouse.

Leave it out that a phenomenal job not only educating kids getting out deployment going on the college.

She wishes her $3500 or less… $9000 got you to discipline was considered so you could make a very strong case of of cultivating perspective, but also in terms of the note, providing each families with which we strong option that can appeal really be be in a real way for these children so up to $4200 is what about family that qualify those two benchmarks will be able to utilize in attending a nonpublic school so you look at the $4200 figure again.

You may be a gas but if you look at the real picture of private school in North Carolina and we talked about a few hundred dollars away from that. That gives a lot of families something to work with financial were hearing from across the state's water not what opportunity denies or handout or or or take care of the mentality they just want to know good viable options within it when they need one so that they can they can make a difference when you look at again.

Look at the fact that were targeted population that is most need that you can really see people mobilize around that it may be very appreciative about exercising this option where they needed that there was no mention at the start of the program, the North Carolina Association of educators and Carolina Justice Center filed a lawsuit in December 2013. Challenging the constitutionality of the opportunity scholarship program tells about the lawsuit and generally what arguments are these groups making an opposition to the opportunity scholarship program well making argument that all education of students should be through our public schools.

Essentially business exclusively, so eating any educational component is 0444 children should solely be under the public schools from that any additional options made available the opportunity scholarship by way of a private school that that unit of the self is unconstitutional now.

Did you want to get one of the things in terms of looking at policies and programs have been in existence for some time is not the first, lawsuit and file immediate mistakes if you could include the Milwaukee work lawsuits were filed.

Majority of those suits have been dismissed and the program has is because Constitution facts the client probably one of the strongest constitutions that supports this idea of a personal choice.

It is not in our nation into what we know is that the USA Supreme Court has already ruled on this case and and one key key point is when you look at the argument made by the others that keep saying you know the state funding to private school. State funding to the private school what what development Harris case in this report said basically that just because a parent ultimately chooses a private school. It's not a situation where the state is dictating that that parent knows that private school because the power relies on the parent. If you look at the applicant scholarship program is not a situation with the stated is it it is record giving money to private schools directed. Parents know exactly the citizen executive parent whose decay of how to meet the economic threshold and be I would like to take advantage of of an opportunity of sitting my childhood nonpublic school and because of that parent decisions about the body that follows the child. We believe that's going to hold up here North Carolina and we see that politically out, another states it into the other thing John this idea of exclusivity that you could only only educate hierarchy to the postal system that's not the case. We feel we support our university colleges was rapid bear that private the college and university about participating least we provided support student here but also there is theirs out there that give the court case here. Recently, 2007 that basically said hey.

In addition to an old state supporting a traditional traditional public schools. It doesn't forbid the state to provide other alternatives you look at that be the lawsuit.

You would think that the opportunity scholarship is coming from the public education budget is not godly the opportunity scholarship program was created out of the general fund. The same general fund job that we find how wave buildings construction anything else. And so the legislature has plein air plenary control over how bodies are dispensing work out of the general fund that will tell you if this was a situation with the funds the opportunity scholarship program was funded out of the public school funds if you will, and they could be some legitimate case that we think again. Again, kudos to you to respond to the build of the composer. The deal we think it's a great policy we need to put it up to work and have great impacts for four families in our much needed. Also, they did a good job make sure that for the most part I have a good legal and constitutional structures interwoven in this, that is up to discuss a problem and also think lastly that the attempt to 2000 was just nothing more than to distract and delay the invitation of the programs am hopeful that whatever this gives to the judge will quickly dismiss will quickly get about the business of the primitive program because it will be starting here on February 1, 2014.

That explanation is very helpful to know how can parents in North Carolina that want to utilize find if they're eligible for participation opportunity scholarship program. How can I find out about more about the program and what eligibility standards are and how it would work if they are able to take advantage of job.

Glad you asked that question and simply put, they committed school choice in the sea God work@schoolchoiceagency.org should go to that website and their job.

They will be asked a few questions to these questions are tailored to adapt to the scholarship program is really cool thing because it answer the questions.

Actually families will get a sense of if they prequalified that we can't qualify the benefits of hate that we think you prequalified so that's important and we have a toll-free number… Figure numbers 18557524642 if they committed school choice if you don't work that will get there been the pipeline so that come February 1, 2014. They can be from not taking full advantage of of of this opportunity. Excellent. I can only repeat that website one more time for listeners of school choice, since he is in North Carolina.org again.

School choice and seed.org not delivered nearly out of time for this week, work, our listeners go to learn more about parents for educational freedom in North Carolina in the great work that you are doing.

John, thanks so much for it with a wonderful opportunity but yet they committed our our our site. Since the PE applicant see that a work that spares peace of parents education apposite freedom in seats in North Carolina.org Mandela delays what's going on itself of the committed their love. Let's move on and what's going on here. Whatever that website as well that W WW.PEF NC.org again www.pefmc.org for dear Allison, thank you so much for taking time out of what we know is a very busy schedule to join us on family policy matters and for your great work at parents for educational freedom in North Carolina job think he was an absolute pleasure's family policy matters in information and analysis feature of the North Carolina family policy Council join us weekly 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