Charlotteans rally for private school voucher program

North Carolina's plan to use public money to issue private school vouchers was nearly dealt a fatal blow this summer, but now its advocates are rallying support ahead of a final decision on its fate.

The program, known as "Opportunity Scholarships," gave about 2,000 students vouchers worth $4,200 toward tuition at a private or religious school in its first year this fall. But it was almost struck down even as it was getting off the ground. A judge in August declared the arrangement unconstitutional. The courts later allowed students already in the program for this school year to continue.

Opponents say the plan represents the abandonment of the state's responsibility to fund public schools. The N.C.  Supreme Court will make a final determination on the Opportunity Scholarships in the coming months.

But in the meantime, a chief advocate for the private school vouchers is holding rallies around the state to build public support. One held in the Charlotte area brought nearly 200 parents and educators to the Embassy Suites near Concord.

"So much of the discussion surrounding the Opportunity Scholarships has unfortunately centered around the legal battles, if you will," said Darrell Allison, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, which sponsored the rallies. "We thought it would be a great idea to ... hear directly from the parents themselves on how impactful the program has been."

One of those parents is Jacquelyn Davis of Charlotte. Her third-grade son is attending the Male Leadership Academy on Nations Ford Road on a private school voucher. He has attended Sedgefield Elementary in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools before that.

Davis said she is unemployed after being laid off from being a security guard at CMS, but said her son benefits from the smaller environment at a private school. She said this semester he is bringing home straight A's for the first time.

"The scholarship has helped a whole lot," Davis said. "I'm praying they keep it going."

Private school vouchers to go out next month

The highly sought after vouchers to send low-income students to private schools will in fact go out next month.

A Wake County judge on Wednesday declined to put the matter on hold until a lawsuit to block the program is resolved, the AP reports. So the voucher system will go forward as planned: Families will get $4,200 each to help pay for private school tuition. To qualify, the families must qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student can't already be in private school.

The state allotted $10 million for the program, meaning that 2,400 students could get the vouchers -- known as "opportunity scholarships." More than twice that many applied, and the state held a lottery to see who would get one. A total of 937 families applied from Mecklenburg County, significantly more than any other.

The AP article says that only 1,000 students have indicated they'll accept a voucher this fall. I've put a call in to the agency overseeing the program to get a firm number and how many are in Mecklenburg County. I'll update when I find out.

The voucher payments are sent to go out Aug. 15. A hearing on the lawsuit will be held Aug. 19.

UPDATE: The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority reports that 1,298 people have accepted vouchers, though 124 have not yet picked out a private school. Of students who have accepted, 230 are in Mecklenburg.

Voucher debate sparks civil rights rhetoric

It was no shock when the Republican-dominated state House voted down a proposal Thursday to pull the $10 million budgeted for Opportunity Scholarships and shift it to classroom teachers in public schools.  After all,  this was the group that voted last year to offer vouchers for low-income students to attend private schools.

But the most intense support of the scholarships came from two African American Democrats who co-sponsored the bill last year.  Reps. Marcus Brandon, D-Guilford,  and Edward Hanes Jr.,  D-Forsyth,  argued that colleagues opposing the vouchers are denying children an alternative to failing schools.

Brandon

Brandon said some public schools in his community can't meet the constitutional requirement to provide a sound basic education.

"That's not because we have bad teachers and it's not because we have bad principals,"  he said.  "It's because we have a bad system."

The amendment to shift voucher money to classroom teachers came from Ken Goodman, a Rockingham Democrat.  He said the state constitution is explicit about the obligation to provide a free public education,  and channeling public money to private schools does not meet that definition.

Goodman

Some Republicans,  including Mecklenburg's Rob Bryan,  spoke for preserving the scholarships on the grounds of financial effectiveness.  Students who qualify can get $4,200 a year in state money for private school tuition,  less than it costs to educate them in public schools.

Brandon and Hanes accused Opportunity Scholarship opponents of hypocrisy if they voted for vouchers to send students with disabilities to private schools.  That program,  which offers up to $6,000 a year for tuition and special services,  passed in 2013 with less controversy than the income-based scholarships.  Brandon said children in his district  "may not roll up in wheelchairs,  but their needs are indeed special."

Hanes

Hanes said some legislators,  including those  "in my caucus,"  send their children to private schools because they don't consider high-poverty,  low-performing schools acceptable for their own children.  But he said they want to deny that option to families who can't afford tuition.

"If students are forced to go to schools that are 99 percent free and reduced lunch,  I don't know how free that is.  I think those students are being taxed,"  Hanes said.  "There's nothing free when 99 percent of those students look like me."

The amendment failed 43-71.

N.C. vouchers: Time to apply

For low-income families thinking about moving their children from public to private school next year,  now is the time to get serious about planning.

The state is taking applications through Feb. 25 for new opportunity scholarships of up to $4,200 a year.  Students eligible for free and reduced lunches,  which translates to an income of $43,568 for a family of four,  can file for the publicly-funded scholarships.  Find the application and other information,  including a list of N.C. private schools,  at this link.  There are also public grants available for students with disabilities going into private schools;  get details here.

There are lingering uncertainties about the opportunity scholarship program,  including,  as Lynn Bonner of the News & Observer reported,  lawsuits to get it blocked.  And families'  plans may be uncertain at this point, too.  But if there's even a chance your kids might benefit from this program,  it makes sense to apply  --  and to be checking out private schools to see what might work for your child and whether additional aid is available.

Allison

"It's critically important for those families that are interested.  They should get involved,"  says Darrell Allison of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina,  one of the biggest proponents of the vouchers.

Here's how it works:  The state will look at all the applications filed by Feb. 25.  If the $10 million set aside to cover the scholarships  (enough for about 2,400 students)  isn't enough,  there will be a lottery.  The state will announce recipients on March 3.  You don't have to have a private-school acceptance in hand at that point;  recipients have until July 15 to choose a school and offer evidence that the child has been accepted to claim the money.  As many have noted,  $4,200 won't cover tuition at most schools in the Charlotte area,  but if you find one that's cheaper the scholarship covers only the tuition total.

Remember,  students who are already in private schools or being home-schooled this year don't qualify.  The scholarships are reserved for those seeking alternatives to their current public schools  (that includes charters).  Qualifying for a scholarship doesn't guarantee acceptance;  private schools retain the right to reject any student.

Opponents say this program is draining $10 million in desperately needed money for public education and transferring it to schools that can pick and choose their students without meeting any kind of academic standards.  Private schools,  including religious ones,  can offer whatever kind of curriculum they choose,  and there's no standard,  publicly mandated data available like there is for public schools.

Allison says the ultimate accountability lies with families:  "They are empowered for the first time to choose.   We have to give them some credit for common sense."

Nor,  he says,  is the goal to skim 2,400 of the best low-income students from public schools.  Some families may explore private schools and realize their public school is better.  But at that point it's a choice,  not a default,  he says.

There's one more big reason to apply this month:  Once you get an opportunity scholarship,  it continues each year that the students remains in the private school,  Allison says.  In coming years,  new applicants will have to compete for the money that remains.

Big menu, little info for school shoppers

The new year ushers in a time of unprecedented school choice in the Charlotte area.  And unfortunately for families trying to sort it all out,  school data is harder than usual to find.

Twenty-six of North Carolina's 127 charter schools are in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, and this week the state Board of Education is poised to approve 11 more to open in August. That includes four near the Meck/Cabarrus line that plan to draw students from both counties.

The nonprofit MeckEd has provided a boost for families interested in charters, with an updated report on local charters.

2012 magnet fair

CMS kicks off its month-long magnet application period Saturday with a school options fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology,  1430 Alleghany St. A dozen new magnets and other programs for 2014-15 will be among the options showcased.

And new N.C. Opportunity Scholarships will help low-income families pay for private school in 2014-15.  Applications will be taken starting Feb. 1 for $4,800 vouchers.

It's the time of year when families traditionally scour data on academic performance, demographics and other measures of school performance,  trying to figure out the best option for their kids in the coming year. But a confluence of new state tests and problems with the new PowerSchool data system have made that unusually difficult.

Halfway through the school year,  CMS has yet to release any enrollment numbers or demographics for individual schools, or to post  long-promised school data reports.   N.C. school report cards,  usually a great source of information, haven't been updated to reflect 2012-13 data.

I've got 2013 proficiency results for CMS and Mecklenburg charters in the School Data maps at the right of this post,  but families tend to want a lot more.  I'm expecting state and local resources to be updated this month,  and as fresh information arrives I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile,  I'd love to hear from those of you who are exploring your choices.  With so many new and untested options,  how are you checking them out?  What kind of questions do you have about the rapidly-changing school choice scene,   and what tips do you have for fellow seekers?

N.C. voucher applications open in February

North Carolina will start taking applications in February for new Opportunity Scholarships to help low-income families send their children to private schools,  according to an update on the plan that state lawmakers created this summer.

For 2014-15,  students who qualify for federal lunch subsidies -- currently $43,568 for a family of four  --  are eligible for up to $4,200 a year in public subsidy for tuition (aka vouchers).  About 2,400 students are expected to get the scholarships that year. In later years,  eligibility will rise to 133 percent of that threshold,  or $57,945 at current levels.

As many have noted,  that's not enough money to cover tuition at most Charlotte-area private schools.  And the March notification may come a bit late for families who have to make applications in January.

But for now, I'm excited to have found this much information to pass along.  I asked the N.C. Department of Public Instruction who would handle the applications and was referred to the College Foundation of North Carolina. I hadn't managed to find any kind of live contact on the CFNC web site or penetrate its automated calling system.

Smith

Then Craig Smith, an assistant principal at Gastonia's Ashbrook High,  tweeted me about a blog he posted exploring what happens if voucher money goes unclaimed  (he was told officials expect there to be plenty of demand).  That prompted me to tweet him  --  and @CFNC -- to ask about a contact for applications. CFNC steered me to the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority,  an agency I'd never heard of.  And that's the link to bookmark for updates on the Opportunity Scholarship front.

Will vouchers spur new schools?

Will North Carolina see a spurt of new private schools opening in 2014-15,  when $4,200  "opportunity scholarships"  become available for low-income students?

Superintendent Heath Morrison,  no fan of sending public money to private schools,  says the Florida system that served as the model for North Carolina's new vouchers sparked a round of new private schools,  some of which closed or did a poor job of educating students.  Jonathan Sink,  the CMS legislative liaison,  said he'd expect to see area churches open schools to take advantage of the scholarships.

Morrison noted with skepticism that $4,200 a year isn't enough to cover tuition at most private schools in the Charlotte area.  The most prestigious schools,  such as Charlotte Country Day,  Charlotte Latin and Providence Day School,  run about $20,000 a year.  A study by the pro-voucher Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina pegged Mecklenburg's median tuition at $7,750 to $9,565,  depending on grade level.

Franz

Tom Franz,  head of Trinity Episcopal School in uptown Charlotte, says the scholarships will help students from families of modest means get an education at established, successful private schools.  Trinity,  where tuition is about $15,000 a year,  provides financial aid to many students,  he said,  but it's seldom enough to cover the family's full need.  A state scholarship coupled with Trinity's aid might help more students be able to stay for several years.  "This is the kind of thing that makes it doable and affordable for families,"  Franz said.

Everyone's still figuring out the details of the new program,  but Franz said it appears to be similar to the privately-funded Children's Scholarship Fund,  which he considers a successful approach.  Most independent schools aren't interested in government money if it comes with strings attached,  Franz said,  but the opportunity scholarships appear to leave the decision-making to the independent boards that run the schools.

Franz agrees with Morrison that the opportunity to get public money may inspire new schools to open,  and that some of them may be poor quality.  The same could be said of new charter schools springing up,  he said  --  some will be excellent and some will be weak.

Charter schools,  like traditional public schools,  must give their students state exams and be rated on the results  (A-F letter grades will debut in August 2014).  Morrison questioned why private schools that take tax money won't be held to the same accountability standards.

Darrell Allison,  president of PEFNC,  says vouchers aren't likely to inspire successful students to leave good public schools.  Instead,  he says,  it's a chance for students who aren't thriving to leave schools that aren't serving them well.  And his group contends that if a student gets a better education for $4,200 in public money  --  compared with more than $8,000 per pupil in public schools  --  it's not only a good deal for the family but for taxpayers.