Poll: NC Voters want choice and like Opportunity Scholarship Program | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Dr. Robert Luebke.

    A new poll by Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina provides more good news for school choice supporters in the Tar Heel state. The survey polled 500 likely voters on a variety of school choice issues. A number of questions focused on the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a large voucher program that provides eligible low- and moderate-income families the opportunity to attend a private school. Some of the major findings included:

• 62 percent of respondents favored North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program compared to 28 percent who oppose the program.
• 34 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a Supreme Court Justice who declared the Opportunity Scholarship Program unconstitutional while 25 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote a Supreme Court Justice who did so.
• When asked if they could send their child to the best school, with no concern about cost or distance, 38 percent of respondents said they would choose a traditional public school; 11 percent would choose a charter school; 11 percent a nonreligious private school; 22 percent a religious private school while 9 percent would choose a home school.

    Yes, parents like choice and they want policymakers to support it. That's one of the messages of the PEFNC poll.

    Responding to that sentiment, the legislature recently approved, and Gov. Cooper signed, a new state budget that expands school choice options and funding for the Opportunity Scholarship Program.

    Interested in exploring your educational options? Learn if your family qualifies for the Opportunity Scholarship Program.