North Carolina 31st state to formally opt into Trump’s school choice program

“Families across the state want to have a choice in where to send their children to school,” said 13th-term Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, the president pro tempore of the chamber. “In North Carolina, we have great public schools that are supplemented by public charter, private and home schools. Participating in President Trump’s landmark school choice program gives parents another opportunity to obtain an education that best fits their child’s needs.”

North Carolina becomes the 31st state to formally opt in, the fifth of which has a divided government. This means the two legislative chambers and the governor’s office are not the same party. Twenty-three are Republican trifectas and three – Virginia, New York and Colorado – are Democratic.

Only Maryland and Delaware – each a Democratic trifecta – from the 16-state South as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau are not participating.

In response, first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said in part, “This Legislature has dropped North Carolina to second to last in the nation in per public school pupil spending. We need to put more public dollars into our public schools, and I will continue to do everything I can to provide more support for public school kids.”

Under the Trump plan signed into law July 4 in what is known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 can start in 2027. Rep. Brian Biggs, R-Randolph, last summer told colleagues on the floor of the House that the cost to North Carolina is zero.

"These are all federal dollars," he said.

And to Stein’s point, it’s money going to the education of the state’s students.

At the time of House veto override two weeks ago, Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, the speaker of the House, said in part, “Governor Stein and Democrats tried to stand in the way of giving families more control over their children’s education, but Republicans, yet again, stood firmly on the side of educational freedom. This vote was about trusting parents and giving students more choices, because when our kids succeed, North Carolina succeeds."

By most every measure, Democrats inclusive of Stein and predecessor Roy Cooper – now a U.S. Senate candidate – have opposed school choice. For parents, it’s overwhelmingly wanted.

The state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program enables all families in the state to apply for taxpayer-funded scholarships. It’s a sliding scale with prioritization to lowest family income. The awards range from $3,500 to $7,700 and can be used for private schools.

Universal school choice – North Carolina became the 10th state to implement, and first without a state government Republican trifecta – was enacted Oct. 3, 2023, as part of the 2023 Appropriations Act. Also known as the state budget, it became law after a 10-day period without Cooper signing it. The biennial spending plan was also tied to expansion of Medicaid.

The appropriation of $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program became law Nov. 20, 2024, when the General Assembly rejected Cooper’s gubernatorial veto. That wiped out a waiting list of about 55,000.

North Carolina has an estimated 1.5 million schoolchildren in its 11.2 million population. Spending on education was the largest share of the last state budget at $17.9 billion for 2024-25, and $17.3 million for the 2023-24 portion of the $60.7 billion two-year plan, the most recent passed.

Roughly 90,000 educators work in the state’s public schools. The attrition rate for teachers in 2024-25 rose from 9.88% to 11.11%, according to a report provided earlier this year to the Department of Public Instruction. Prior to the COVID-19 era, the norm was 7.5% to 8.2%.

While charter schools are public schools in the state, they too are criticized and not wanted by the majority of Democrats. Charter schools are subject to the same academic and testing requirements as traditional public schools; they’re exempt from some administrative regulations in hiring, budgeting and curriculum design.