NC GOP Overrides Veto, Pumps $463M into Private School Vouchers

RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly on Nov. 20, 2024, overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of House Bill 10, enacting Session Law 2024-55 and funneling $463.46 million in new funding to the state's Opportunity Scholarship Program — private school vouchers — retroactive to July 1, 2024.[1] The law boosts next year's allocation to $625 million, up from $415.54 million, with automatic increases to $825 million by fiscal year 2032-33.[1] It also adds $24.7 million for the NC Personal Education Student Accounts for Children With Disabilities, rising to $83 million by 2032-33, and $95 million for public school enrollment reserves.[1] The expansion builds on a program launched in 2014-15 with $10.8 million for low-income students, initially capped at $4,200 per voucher, serving 80,472 recipients last year.[7][2] Republicans, led by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, frame it as empowering families in districts like Wake and Mecklenburg, where public schools strain under growth.[2] Critics, including the North Carolina Association of Educators, argue it diverts funds from under-resourced public classrooms to unaccountable private schools.[3] Separately, in July 2025, the GOP-majority legislature passed House Bill 87 to opt North Carolina into a new federal school choice tax credit program from President Donald Trump's budget reconciliation bill, signed July 4.[2][4] The program offers up to $1,700 in federal tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations, potentially stacking with state vouchers for families earning up to 300% of area median income — nearly $300,000 in affluent counties like those surrounding Raleigh.[2][4] Gov. Josh Stein vetoed HB 87 on Aug. 6, 2025, criticizing it for prioritizing private options while public education faces billions in cuts.[2][4]