Earlier this year, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina declared a “state of emergency” as part of his fight against school choice.
What’s remarkable is that he engaged in that rhetorical excess even though he sent at least one of his kids to a private school.
But this column will not focus on his hypocrisy, even though his two-faced behavior is despicable (and common).
Instead, we are going to celebrate the fact that his state-of-emergency stunt was a total flop. The North Carolina legislature just approved universal school choice (details here) and Gov. Cooper meekly is allowing the law to go into effect.
The Wall Street Journal editorialized about this great development.
North Carolina on Friday became the tenth state to approve universal school choice. …North Carolina created the Opportunity Scholarship program in 2013, but this budget increases funding from $176.5 million to $520.5 million by the 2032-33 fiscal year. It also opens up eligibility to all North Carolinians, though the amount of the scholarship declines as income rises. …In May, when legislators signaled their intentions, Gov. Cooper released a video declaring a “state of emergency.” …he said, “that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education.” The emergency stunt did nothing but make the Governor look weak. It also highlighted his double standard. Mr. Cooper was happy to choose private school for one of his daughters. But when the legislators were ready to give North Carolinians the same choice, suddenly it was an attack on public schools. …Parents want better education choices for their children. …North Carolina’s vote is a big victory—for parents who want better schools for their children and the Republicans who fought to provide that choice.
Given the deterioration of government schools, this is great news.
And it’s part of a great trend. Since the beginning of 2021, a growing number of states have adopted universal or near-universal school choice programs.
P.S. North Carolina also deserves credit for making big progress on tax and spending issues in recent years.
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Image credit: Gage Skidmore | CC BY-SA 2.0.
