By Galen Bacharier

NC Newsline

Advocates for school choice called on North Carolina lawmakers Wednesday to clear the waitlist for families seeking scholarships under the state’s private school voucher program.

Roughly 55,000 applicants are on the waitlist under the Opportunity Scholarship program for K-12 students.

Lawmakers are unlikely to address the waitlist in the immediate future — the House came into session Wednesday strictly to pass veto overrides, while the Senate remains at a standstill. But advocates made it clear that they would continue to urge Republican leaders to act on the issue.

“We applaud your school choice efforts, but we are not going to be forgotten,” said Rachel Brady, flanked by families at a press conference outside the legislative building. “And we’re not going to take this lying down.”

Democrats and Gov. Roy Cooper strongly oppose vouchers, which they say siphon funds from public education and fund schools that both discriminate and are unaccountable. Cooper has repeatedly sought to block further expansion of the voucher program — an initiative that he has called a “reckless waste” of taxpayer dollars — until the state’s public schools are fully funded.

Advocates call for funding after budget breakdown

Parents and children held up posters with messages such as “#KeepYourPromise” and “1 of 55,000” — part of what Brady described as “putting faces and handprints to this issue.”

The General Assembly left their session earlier this summer without a final agreement between House and Senate leaders on a state budget. Both chambers’ budget proposals included more spending for the voucher program, but disagreements on specifics caused negotiations to stall.

Advocates said they would sign and deliver a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore calling on them to address the voucher waitlist.

One private school administrator said he was thrilled entering the session with promises to expand the program, but had been let down when they failed to cross the finish line.

“They made a promise to the families of North Carolina and failed to keep it,” said Jason Thibbs, who founded Heritage Classical Academy in Albemarle.

Moore on voucher money: ‘I’m committed to seeing it get done’

Moore said that he had met with the group of advocates, and pledged action on the issue in the coming months.

“It does not appear we’ll get this passed prior to when school starts,” Moore told reporters after votes on Wednesday. “The reality is that we know Gov. Cooper would veto it anyway. As a practical matter, coming back to do a veto override before school starts simply isn’t possible.”

Action on a separate bill to expand funding for the program couldn’t happen Wednesday because of a resolution approved by the legislature and the absence of the Senate, Moore said. A spokesperson for Berger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The speaker said he wants additional voucher spending to be retroactive and could be sent to families who had already opted into the program. And he estimated they could reach a final resolution in “one of our later sessions,” mentioning September or “at the latest in November.”

Moore also reaffirmed his desire to include additional spending for schools outside of the voucher program.

“I’m committed to seeing it get done before we adjourn sine die,” Moore said.

Galen Bacharier covers North Carolina politics and government for NC Newsline.