A big win for NC families! I do not know how this escaped the teachers unions.
In a bipartisan vote, the North Carolina Legislature passed a sweeping COVID relief package, HB 1105, that delivers real relief to parents and creates more options for North Carolina families than ever before.
It has been announced Governor Roy Cooper is poised to sign.
The bill includes:
- Gives all parents a $335 tax credit that can help them fund basic needs, including educational costs related to in-home and virtual learning.
- Removes special needs and low-income families from wait lists for educational choice programs, after being unjustly denied educational opportunities until now, directly benefiting 2,500 families immediately.
- Gives more working-class families access to school options by expanding income caps for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program.
- Increases the amount the state gives to each child in the Opportunity Scholarship Program so that families can have even more choices available to them.
“CarolinaCAN thanks the North Carolina Legislature for their great work and support for families that urgently need options and help in this time of educational crisis,” said Marcus Brandon, CarolinaCAN Executive Director. “We look forward to Governor Roy Moore signing the legislation and celebrating a great day for North Carolina kids.”
“In particular, Sen. Deanna Ballard (R) and Cecil Brockman (D) desire great credit for ushering in these important provisions,” said Marcus. “Giving parents real aid, and expanding scholarships for special needs and at risk kids will give thousands of families access to a high quality education.”
Brandon, a former member of North Carolina’s House of Representatives, was the author of the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
CarolinaCAN and the entire 50CAN network is working tirelessly to ensure that in a time of crisis we are funding learning wherever it is happening and putting the needs of families first. . Our nationwide educational emergency requires bold action to put the needs of students and families first. We hope North Carolina’s bold steps forward will serve as an example for the rest of the country.