Group pushes for more school choice in North Carolina
You may recall reading stories last year about a report estimating how much money high school dropouts were costing the state of North Carolina over their lifetimes. One of the groups behind that report was Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina.
I met with Chad Lowry of the group yesterday and he shared with me some of the projects the group is working on. While Parents for Educational Freedom is not pushing specifically for school vouchers, the group would like to see tax credits for families that send their children to non-public schools.
"We just want to see greater options for our students because some schools here are subpar," Lowry said.
For example, the group supports House Bill 388 that was filed last year. It would provide tax credits for parents of children with special needs who enroll them in a private school. Parents for Educational Freedom is also sponsoring a fact-finding trip for state legislators to Florida to research that state's McKay Scholarship Program. That scholarship helps pay for children with special needs to attend non-public schools.
Parents for Educational Freedom would also like North Carolina to replicate a Pennsylvania education tax credit for businesses. More information here and here.
Which of the two tax credits would get your vote?