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February 10, 2026

[1]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org
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Take Action to STOP School Vouchers

In 2024-25, North Carolina’s largest voucher program, the Opportunity
Scholarship voucher program became a universal program, which means that
all income eligibility requirements were removed. The expansion shifts
millions of dollars to the private sector and gives vouchers to anyone,
even wealthy families—a far cry from the program that was sold as a way to
give low-income students in low-performing schools access to private
schools.

The requirement to have attended a public school before applying for a
voucher has also been removed. Vouchers will siphon billions of dollars
from public school funding over the coming years as money that could have
been spent on the public schools that serve all students is sent to private
schools. The facts are clear; precious dollars that should be going to
support our underfunded public schools are subsidizing private school
tuition, often for wealthy families that never intended to send their child
to public school.
* The majority (55%) of new applicants for 2024-25 were from families too
wealthy to have qualified in previous years.
* Lawmakers allocated more than $616 million to pay for vouchers in the
2024-25 school year.
* Over 87% of the new voucher recipients in 2024-25 had never attended a
public school.
* Since vouchers were launched, more than $1.4 billion taxpayer dollars
have already been spent on private school tuition vouchers.
* After income limits and prior public school enrollment requirements for
voucher eligibility were lifted, spending on private school tuition more
than doubled as wealthy families who were already sending their children to
private school received vouchers.
* Over 86% of all voucher dollars went to religious private schools in
2024-25.
* By the 2034-35 school year, North Carolina is projected to spend nearly
$1 BILLION every year on taxpayer-funded vouchers.
* Private schools have no public accountability for how voucher funds are
spent or how well students meet academic standards.
* Only one private school staff person must pass a criminal background
check for the school to be eligible to receive vouchers. This is unsafe for
students!

Lawmakers can make a change to the voucher program and start prioritizing
public schools. They need to hear from you!

[7]Send an Email to Your Lawmakers!

More Ideas for Action - This Week and Beyond!

* Check out our [8]VOUCHER TOOLKIT for more ideas, example letters, and
lots of data.
* Write an op-ed or letter to the editor to your local newspaper
supporting public schools and/or sharing a positive experience with public
schools.
* Post public schools stories on social media to show that you support
public schools.
* Sign up to speak at your school board meeting in support of public
schools.
* Host a local action to engage and educate your community. You can find
plenty of [9]facts here.
* Share our facts about vouchers on social media.
* [10]Read our voucher report. The recommendations section has even more
ideas for legislators!

Help us support public schools!

Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit
focused solely

on pre-K to 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents,
teachers, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina
to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares each
child for productive citizenship.

[11]DONATE HERE

[12]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

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Public Schools First NC
PO Box 37832
Raleigh, NC 27627
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