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.

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.

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 CMS hold its market share?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is forecasting that it can hold onto 81 percent of the educational  "market"  through 2021.  How realistic is that?

One of the challenges of making a 10-year construction plan is figuring out how many students the district is going to have.  When CMS made a 10-year plan going into the 2007 bond campaign,  the economy was robust and enrollment was increasing by some 5,000 students a year. The district projected it would add another 58,000 in the decade ahead.

Then the recession hit,  and growth slowed to about 2,000 a year. The new plan projects adding about 17,800 CMS students in the next 10 years.

CMS is predicting that charter schools will have 10,900 Mecklenburg students in 2021 -- up from 8,281 in 2011, which CMS is using as the base.  That sounds low to me.  Half a dozen new charters are slated to open in or near Mecklenburg in August,  and they're projecting their total enrollment at roughly 2,500 the first year. Charters tend to open small and add grades,  so their enrollment often grows even when no new schools open.  And there are applicants lining up to open new schools.  The surge in charters presents planners with a wild card:  No one knows how many of them can deliver on their plans,  how many will be approved in coming years and how many of the students will come from Mecklenburg  (charter students can cross county lines).

Home-schoolers will increase from about 5,900 to 6,700 if the CMS projection holds. And here's the most puzzling one:  CMS is forecasting a decline in private school enrollment,  from 19,545 to 18,700.  I asked Superintendent Heath Morrison about that last week.  He referred me to planning honcho Scott McCully,  who hasn't yet provided an explanation.  The only thing that comes to mind is a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau on declining private-school enrollment.  But, as discussed in a recent blog post,  that trend hasn't held true in Mecklenburg. And as some of you noted after delving into that study,  the bureau's tally for North Carolina didn't match state reporting on private-school enrollment.

As Morrison noted when the board approved the 10-year plan,  it's hardly locked in for a decade.  Plans call for updating on a yearly basis.  Each year will likely bring new insights about who's living here and what choices families are making.

White flight ... from private schools?

Private school enrollment has been declining nationwide over the past decade,  especially among white students,  according to a new U.S. Census Bureau study.

The working paper concludes that that national downturn,  which began earlier in the decade,  isn't likely to have been caused by the recession.  Instead,  it found a link between charter school growth and private school decline,  suggesting that families who aren't happy with traditional public schools may be switching to a tuition-free alternative.

The Census study inspired me to check North Carolina's private-school reports. They show enrollment growing steadily in Mecklenburg County and statewide from 2000 to 2009, with both slumping in 2010.

But the numbers don't show a dramatic decline.  Mecklenburg's private enrollment began ticking up again in 2011 and 2012.  The latest report shows a total of 19,545 students in Mecklenburg's private schools,  accounting for just over 20 percent of all N.C. students in private schools.  That's just barely below the 2009 peak of 19,733.  Statewide, the 2012 total of 96,096 in private schools is about 2.5 percent below the 2009 peak.

The national report raises interesting questions about the dynamics of change, especially with a surge in charter schools statewide and in the Charlotte region. Leaders of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Mecklenburg's charter and private schools have held two meetings to talk about the balance between competition and cooperation.

Nobody's ready to issue a public plan or agenda yet, but CMS spokeswoman Kathryn Block said they're discussing potential for common ground in  "teacher professional development,  transportation,  grants and community messaging."

Speaking of the charter boom:  N.C. Senators Jerry Tillman and Dan Soucek filed a bill Thursday that would create a new governing board for charters. Here's what the N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools had to say about it.