AFP-NC Praises Bill to Eliminate Wait List for Opportunity Scholarships
Raleigh, North Carolina—Today North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger and Senator Mike Lee introduced a bill that would eliminate waitlist for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships. Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina praised the bill introduction, citing the transformative move to make the program truly universal for all North Carolina students.
After setting a pathway for full universal access to the program last year, Opportunity Scholarships this year were originally only granted to students of families of four with a household income from $57,720-$115,440.
H.B. 823 will fully fund the program, eliminate the waitlist and make North Carolina the latest state to embrace universal education savings accounts for all students regardless of income.
AFP-NC Deputy State Director Dalton Clark issued the following statement praising the bill:
“AFP-NC was proud to support the expansion of the Opportunity Scholarships last session and we are thrilled to see lawmakers continue to advance the cause of education freedom by making North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships available to every student in the state.
“We would be remiss if we didn’t thank Senators Berger and Lee for their bold leadership on this issue that is so critical to North Carolina families. AFP-NC is ready to partner with lawmakers to make this vision a reality so that every child has access to the education they need to learn and thrive in the Old North State.”
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BACKGROUND
The bill will also include $24.7 million recurring to clear the waitlist for the Education Student Accounts program, which supports students with disabilities. There are an estimated 2,015 applicants currently on the waitlist.
