Dive Brief:
- On Thursday, North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled that its “Opportunity Scholarship Program,” which gives low-income students vouchers to attend private schools, is in line with its constitution.
- Last year, at least 75% of the 224 schools participating in the program were affiliated with a religion.
- The decision could allow up to 4,400 low-income students in the state to receive as much as $4,200 in state funding for their private education.
Dive Insight:
The court’s 4-3 decision reprimanded a lower court’s ruling that the program violated the state’s constitution, saying courts only had the power to do so when the “violation is plain and clear.” This year, almost 6,000 families have applied for the voucher program, including most who participated last year. State legislators have allocated $17.6 million for the program in the coming year, and it will offer more aid than in 2014.
Voucher programs have received a chilly greeting in many state Supreme Courts. Most recently, Colorado's Supreme Court struck down a district program that operated in a similar fashion to North Carolina. That decision may be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.