Education organizations across the nation urge governors to reject the federal voucher program.
RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES, February 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Public Schools First NC joins a national coalition of public school advocates, parents, educators, business owners, and school and district leaders in a call to governors to opt out of the federal voucher program. Most states are still evaluating the program and are waiting for more information from the federal government; four have already made public their plans to opt out of the federal tax credit voucher program.
In July 2025, Governor Stein vetoed H.B. 87—the NC General Assembly’s bill to bypass the Governor and opt in to the federal voucher program without the Governor’s approval. In his veto message for H.B. 87, Governor Stein kept the door open to opting in if the program benefits public school students. Advocates for public education are concerned this will further deplete funding that could be used to adequately fund our public schools.
Putting the education of our K-12 grade students in the hands of the private sector raises concerns for Public Schools First NC’s chair, Yevonne Brannon: “The constitutional right to a free public education is clearly stated in North Carolina’s constitution. Using public dollars to fund private schools that can reject students for a variety of reasons violates this right.”
The millions of public tax dollars spent on vouchers has already led to a growth in private schools that have selective admissions policies—extensively documented in PSFNC’s report on private school admissions. PSFNC points out that the stated rationale for supporting private school vouchers—that they improve student academic outcomes—is at odds with research showing that students who accept vouchers to attend private schools do not outperform public school students.(1) In states such as Arizona, the rapid growth in tax dollars going to pay for private school vouchers with little accountability has led to reports of fraud and abuse and raises concerns about use of taxpayer funds. (2)
Critics have documented how this dollar for dollar federal tax credit voucher program is a harmful tax write-off that comes with real budgetary consequences for states.(3) A major concern is that by letting people designate which schools may be funded, existing gaps between haves and have nots will likely widen, and existing mechanisms designed to ensure that every student in every public school has the opportunity to learn, to shine, and to thrive will be dismantled.
Public Schools First joins advocates across the nation and calls on Governor Stein and all other governors to reject the federal voucher tax program and the threat it brings to our public schools. America’s children have been promised in our state constitution a free, sound public education; a promise we must keep.
1. Public Funds, Public Schools Research: https://pfps.org/research/
2. AZ school voucher expansion draws fire over fraud allegations, cost concerns: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/az-school-voucher-expansion-draws-fire-over-fraud-allegations-cost-concerns
3. Federal Voucher Program FAQs: https://edlawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Federal-Vouchers-FAQ-9-15-2025.pdf
Heather Koons
Public Schools First NC
info@publicschoolsfirstnc.org
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