PEFNC

Are you one of them?

Under the Gov’s budget proposal: if a Tier 2 student’s scholarship is stripped away and they’re forced to go to their local public school, the state will spend upwards of $8,000 to educate them there. Yet, their Opportunity Scholarship was $7,148. (Tier 3 & 4 students who would be kicked off use scholarships worth only $4,766 & $3,574, far less than per pupil ADM.) Is it about saving the state money? Or pushing families into the system you prefer they be in, @NC_Governor? #ncpol #schoolchoice

"North Carolina’s constitution requires the provision of public education. Those requirements aren’t going anywhere. But the constitution does not require that the General Assembly fund only district-run public schools. Nor does it preclude expansive choice within public schools. We’ve done the former. Now, let’s do the latter." READ MORE: carolinajournal.com/opinion/expand…

Preliminary Opportunity Scholarship data is in! 📈Tier 1 and Tier 2 families - those with lower to moderate incomes - represent nearly 60% of all new applicants. Approximately 71% of total expected scholarship dollars are directed toward those same tiers. 📈There were 27,682 new applications for the 2026-27 school year, compared to roughly 40,000 in 2025 and 70,000 in 2024. Those initial spikes are not unexpected, and over time, we see a clearer story about how the program is stabilizing after such massive policy change. These data points show us that families with the greatest financial need are among the most active applicants and will be the primary recipients of scholarship support. While pent-up demand moved families across all income levels to action when eligibility was expanded, the current pattern reflects a more steady baseline. The greatest story of all: The Opportunity Scholarship Program is expanding access where it's needed most!

"The exodus of refugee teachers should not be read merely as a critique of district schools, nor solely as a boost to classical education. It may be an early indicator of something larger: the emergence of teaching as a more pluralistic, entrepreneurial profession—less defined by a single institutional or career pathway and more by fit, craft, and conviction. The rapid rise of education savings accounts in over a dozen U.S. states is already giving teachers an opportunity to reinvent themselves, whether through running microschools, teaching online, or offering services directly to families—all of it with public dollars, but outside the structure of traditional public school districts. Journalism underwent a similar transformation with the rise of the Internet and social media and the diminished impact of legacy media outlets and their gatekeeping role. Frustration and fragmentation followed, but so did innovation and renewal. Teaching may be entering a comparable evolution." READ MORE: aei.org/articles/the-b…"

ESA+ Scholarship Updates are Available in MyPortal! ESA+ sent award notifications to new student applicants selected in the lottery. These scholarship offers are now available in MyPortal. There were more applicants than available funds, so all eligible applications were entered into the lottery. Families have until Friday, May 1 to accept or decline scholarship offers. For more information, visit the Awarding Process page and your MyPortal notifications. The priority application period for 2026-2027 ESA+ scholarships for new students closed March 2. The program is no longer accepting applications for new students.

We hope that you have had a chance to interact with our Parent Liaison Team at some point. They are incredible resources because they have walked in your shoes. They are moms who have made tough educational decisions for their children, applied for a K12 scholarship, navigated the IEP process, or entered their child into a public charter school lottery. Their passion for helping families is unmatched! Take a look at the impact they have made between January 1 and March 31!

ATTN: If your child received an Opportunity Scholarship or ESA+ award for the 2025-26 school year, your deadline to respond to your renewal offer is April 15!

We've developed a Parent Resource Guide to help you through the process of choosing a private school that fits your kiddo's needs. Check out this video that outlines all of the things to consider when enrolling in a private school, including questions to ask the schools you may be interested in. WATCH HERE: youtube.com/watch?v=8PORSr…

"The debate over school choice is often conducted at 30,000 feet — about competition and equity and funding formulas. Lost in that debate is the quieter reality that, right now, someone is choosing for your child — what they will read, how they will learn, and how they will spend their days. Choosing, in subtle but significant ways, what they will come to believe about knowledge, about excellence, about their country, about themselves. The question is not whether choices are being made. They are and always have been. The question is who makes them." aei.org/op-eds/school-…

Scholarship offers for eligible Opportunity Scholarship applications submitted during the priority period are now available in MyPortal. Here's what families need to know! All scholarship offers must be accepted or declined by April 17. If your family received an award, be sure to take action before the deadline to secure your funding. If you missed the priority window to apply, there’s still time! The application remains open, and new applications are reviewed monthly in the order they are received, as long as funds remain available.

🎉We want to wish Kwan Graham, our Director of Community Engagement, a happy birthday! Kwan is the face of all things "parents" at PEFNC. You've probably seen her at an event in your community, talked to her on the phone, or exchanged text messages with her about your school choice options. She's the fearless leader of the Parent Liaison Team who helped 16,000 families through the Opportunity Scholarship and/or ESA+ application process last year! Not only is Kwan an incredibly trusted and helpful resource for families, she is always wearing a huge smile! She's PEFNC's longest-tenured staff member (she's been with us for 12 years), calls Charlotte home, and loves hearing updates from families she's helped along the way!

Lawmakers are preparing for a critical vote on House Bill 87 (Educational Choice for Children Act) after Governor Stein vetoed the measure. The bill would allow North Carolina to opt into a federal tax credit program that turns private donations into scholarships for families. These scholarships would cover tuition, tutoring, transportation, and even homeschool expenses. This is about expanding opportunity and keeping education dollars in-state to directly support students. The outcome will likely come down to just ONE vote. Just one vote short of overriding the veto, this decision could shape the future of education across our state. 👉 What happens next? Legislators will vote soon and they need to hear from YOU. 📣 Contact your representative today and urge them to support HB 87 and expand educational opportunity for North Carolina students. ACT NOW: actionbutton.nationbuilder.com/share/SPK-QERF…

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 The North Carolina Supreme Court just released its decision to VACATE in the long-running Leandro case. #ncpol #ncga #nced View the decision below: carolinajournal.com/wp-content/upl…

Lawmakers are preparing for a critical vote on House Bill 87 (Educational Choice for Children Act) after Governor Stein vetoed the measure. The bill would allow North Carolina to opt into a federal tax credit program that turns private donations into scholarships for families. These scholarships would cover tuition, tutoring, transportation, and even homeschool expenses. This is about expanding opportunity and keeping education dollars in-state to directly support students. The outcome will likely come down to just ONE vote. Just one vote short of overriding the veto, this decision could shape the future of education across our state. 👉 What happens next? Legislators will vote soon and they need to hear from YOU. 📣 Contact your representative today and urge them to support HB 87 and expand educational opportunity for North Carolina students. ACT NOW: actionbutton.nationbuilder.com/share/SPK-QERF…

"From my perspective as a longtime public school educator, the conversation should ultimately be about families and students. During my career, I worked with children who thrived in traditional classrooms. But I also worked with many who did not. Families who wanted different options often faced a maze of requirements to access services or placements. In special education, families had to navigate lengthy and sometimes adversarial processes simply to obtain support within a system that was not working for their child. Educators know this reality well. We see the children for whom the system works beautifully – and the ones for whom it does not. Programs like the [Education Freedom Tax Credit] won’t solve every challenge in education. Public schools continue to educate the majority of American children, and they remain a cornerstone of our communities. But expanding educational options acknowledges what so many families experience firsthand: no single model works for every child." READ MORE: thecentersquare.com/opinion/articl…

What do the latest public school numbers in North Carolina show? ✔️ Public school funding is increasing ✔️ Enrollment has slightly declined ✔️ Each public school student is now receiving more funding than before Over the past seven years, per-pupil state funding has risen by 27%, even as the total number of public school students has dipped. Data source: Carolina Journal analysis of NC Department of Public Instruction reports. 📊

North Carolina - it's your turn! Our General Assembly needs to override Governor Stein's veto and opt North Carolina into the federal school choice program! #ncpol WHY? Individuals can receive a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations made to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Those SGOs would then provide scholarships or cover school-related expenses for private or public school students. This is a win for students without costing a dime in new spending.