Families rally to urge North Carolina lawmakers to fully fund private-school vouchers
Associated PressRALEIGH, N.C. — Dozens of North Carolina parents held a rally on Wednesday to urge Republican legislators to fully fund scholarships for children to attend private and religious schools after lawmakers failed to work out an agreement earlier this year to meet the program’s soaring demand. Senate leader Phil Berger also met with the advocates and expressed his support but told the parents to urge House members to vote on the Senate’s standalone measure, spokesperson Lauren Horsch said. Families have been “left to decide whether they pull children out of the school that’s best for their family, split children between schools, or make extraordinary sacrifices in hopes of making tuition payments,” he said. The funding shortfall for the expanded program meant there was only enough money to provide awards to children who received scholarships last year and some new applicants whose family income fell below certain levels.