Here are some reports from Gov. Roy Cooper’s Thursday news conference, gathered by the editor. The reports came from Cooper’s office.
RALEIGH — Yesterday, Governor Roy Cooper held a press meeting to talk about the bad plan by Republicans to cut money from public schools and spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on private school vouchers that taxpayers can’t track.
On Monday, the General Assembly will meet again, but instead of passing a budget or funding child care in North Carolina, Republicans plan to fully fund the growth of private school vouchers, which will cost an extra $625 million this year.
This increase would have the most negative effects on rural North Carolina counties, where private schools are hard to get to and public schools are the lifeblood of communities.
Cooper, Democrats ask Republicans not to change their minds about their plan to give more money to school voucher programs
A news story from WRAL’s Emily Walkenhorst says Gov. Roy Cooper and a number of Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that Republicans shouldn’t spend any more money on vouchers for kids to go to private schools.
Cooper told reporters in Raleigh that they should use the extra hundreds of millions of dollars to raise teacher pay instead.
Next week, the House and Senate, which are both run by Republicans, will go back to Raleigh. Cooper said he thinks Republicans want to make the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program bigger, even though there isn’t a set plan yet.
Chance Scholarships are checks that any family in the state can get for up to $7,500 to send their child to a private school. For families with more money, the voucher amounts are less.
Cooper and other Democrats said that because millions of dollars are being spent on families in urban and suburban counties with lots of private schools, there isn’t enough money left over to give raises to teachers across the state or give rural schools more chances.
Cooper said, “At the same time, our public schools are having a hard time hiring teachers, bus drivers, and other important staff.”
Next week, the GOP’s voucher plan could be put to a vote, and Gov. Cooper is against it.
Colin Campbel of WUNC wrote another story from the meeting. Next week, lawmakers are going to be back in Raleigh, and Democrats are worried that the session will include new money for private school vouchers.
Republican leaders in the legislature haven’t said what they’re going to do next week yet. At a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper and top Democrats in the legislature, on the other hand, spoke out against the possible voucher plan.
Cooper said, “It’s too bad that Republicans in this legislature are trying to kill our public schools.” “Their constituents need to tell them to stop it—we’re counting on you this week.”
Thursday, people who work for Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore were asked about the plans for the session but did not reply. The short session, which starts on Monday, has been planned for months. Late last summer, congressional leaders said that those dates could be used to finish up unfinished business but might not have any votes at all.
“Reliable sources have told me that vouchers will be an important part of what we work on for two or three days next week,” Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, told reporters. “I have not been officially told or advised by the Senate Republican leadership of what’s on the agenda come Monday,” Blue said.
The Opportunity Scholarship voucher program ran out of money earlier this year before vouchers were given to wealthier families. The program used to have income limits, but those were taken away by the lawmakers.
NC Newsline: Cooper and other Democrats fear that plans to expand school vouchers could be brought back to life next week.
Gandhijallow of NC Newsline wrote that Gov. Roy Cooper and Democratic lawmakers said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that they think Republican leaders will bring back their plans to expand the state’s controversial Opportunity Scholarships private school voucher program next week. The General Assembly goes back to Raleigh on Monday to start the legislative session again after a break that ended in late June.
Republican leaders haven’t said what they want to do next week yet, but Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, said he thinks that new money for vouchers will be on the table. “The Republican leadership in the Senate has not officially told me what’s on the agenda for Monday,” said Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake.
“Someone I trust told me that vouchers will be a big part of what we do for two or three days next week,” As of Thursday, neither the House nor the Senate calendars for Monday showed any work in order.
It ran out of money early this year, so 54,000 students could not get their coupons. The General Assembly got rid of income limits last year, so all students, no matter how much money they make, could get coupons.
During the recent short session, Republican leaders tried to expand the program, but talks broke down because of differences over how to pay for it.
The governor and other Democrats made it clear that they will be against the growth plan if it comes to fruition. Cooper said that the hundreds of millions of dollars that Republicans want to spend on grants for private schools would be better used to improve public schools.
He said, “Let’s give this money to public schools instead.” “It is very hard to get a future legislature to take away this tax break for wealthy people when these vouchers give them another one.” Over the next ten years, that will mean $4 billion less for our public schools.