Happy to report: North Carolina on Friday became the tenth state to approve universal school choice. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says he won’t veto the bill passed by the Legislature, no doubt because Republicans have enough votes to override.
The choice provisions are in the state’s much-delayed budget, which includes Medicaid expansion the Governor favors and tax cuts he opposes. North Carolina created the Opportunity Scholarship program in 2013, but this budget increases funding from $176.5 million to $520.5 million by the 2032-33 fiscal year. It also opens up eligibility to all North Carolinians, though the amount of the scholarship declines as income rises.
The fight illustrated both the importance of Republican unity and the vulnerabilities of Democrats who take orders from the teachers union and ignore parents. In May, when legislators signaled their intentions, Gov. Cooper released a video declaring a “state of emergency.” “It’s clear,” he said, “that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education.”
The emergency stunt did nothing but make the Governor look weak. It also highlighted his double standard. Mr. Cooper was happy to choose private school for one of his daughters. But when the legislators were ready to give North Carolinians the same choice, suddenly it was an attack on public schools.