In what can only be seen as a big win for parents and students in North Carolina, the state House has voted to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of HB10, a school-choice bill. HB10 now goes back to the state Senate, where a vote to override is expected.
BREAKING: North Carolina House just voted to OVERRIDE Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of a school choice bill.
The vote was 72 to 44, more than the required 60% supermajority.
The bill clears the school choice waitlist of 54,000 students by funding their scholarships.
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 19, 2024
Representative Tricia Ann Cotham, who switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party in part to get this bill passed, was reportedly instrumental in getting the bill passed and in the veto override.
Tricia Cotham: “It is shameful for our governor to try and set up a fight between hurricane victim relief and children. They are not the same.”
“This is a great day for North Carolina. It’s going to be a great day for families and for children.”
You can say that again. pic.twitter.com/LFUhTztZqF
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 19, 2024
Governor Cooper had previously declared a “state of emergency” over this bill.
Friendly reminder Democrat Governor Roy Cooper issued a STATE OF EMERGENCY over school choice in North Carolina.
Today’s veto override is glorious.
Thank you, @NCHouseSpeaker @triciacotham. pic.twitter.com/WdzTb6h96k
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 19, 2024
Democrat Representative Nicole Quick, er, quickly denounced the override on X as “along party lines,” even though three Democrats voted for the override, which is the actual definition of bipartisan.
Veto override of HB10 has passed along Party lines with Dems Cunningham, Willingham and Wray voting with Republicans. pic.twitter.com/a24bwr7AGG
— Nicole Quick (@QuickforNC) November 19, 2024
HB10 would funnel funds from the public schools to fund “Opportunity Scholarships” for students attending non-government schools. Governor Cooper reportedly described the bill as “…the biggest threat to public schools in decades.” It is perhaps belaboring the obvious to note that if the government schools were doing a proper job of educating students, then parents would not be quite so determined to seek alternatives; perhaps it is the public schools themselves that are a threat to public education.
School choice is a hot topic, and Republicans side with many parents, especially in urban areas with failing schools, on wanting to expand choice in education, be that through the growth of charter schools, vouchers, or homeschooling.
See Related: Abbott Close to Pro-School Choice Victory As Republican Civil War Heats Up in Texas Runoff
Magazine Calls for Federal Regulations of Homeschoolers – Otherwise Known As a Conservative Database
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Sends School Choice Crowd Into Frenzy After Curious Post on X
The move to increase choices in education may be about to get a lot easier. President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he will eliminate the federal Department of Education, although it’s unclear if that can be done by executive action; the department is funded by Congressional appropriation. But such a move would devolve education back to the states, where it properly ought to be, practically and constitutionally.
A better option, of course, would be to completely privatize education, from kindergarten through the university system. There is no constitutional authorization for the federal government to be involved in education in any way, and for most of the nation’s history, basic education was handled at the local level. The county or municipal level seems the appropriate level for K-12 education, with the states having the ability to maintain state universities.
For now, this voucher program is a step in the right direction.
