Raleigh — Governor Josh Stein issued a sharp response Wednesday after the General Assembly voted to override his veto of House Bill 87, saying lawmakers acted before receiving key federal guidance and continue to underfund North Carolina’s public schools.
Stein said he vetoed the bill because the state was still waiting for “sound guidance from the federal government” before deciding whether to opt into the program created by the legislation. Despite that, lawmakers moved ahead without the federal clarity he expected.
The governor also criticized the legislature’s record on public education funding, noting that North Carolina now ranks second to last in the nation in per‑pupil spending. He said the state should be investing more public dollars into public schools rather than diverting resources elsewhere.
Even so, Stein said he sees potential opportunities for public school students if the program is implemented correctly. His administration is working on a system that would allow North Carolinians to direct their federally reimbursed donations to scholarship‑granting organizations that support public school students. Those funds, he said, could help expand tutoring, after‑school programs, summer learning, workforce development and other high‑impact services.
Stein said he will release more details once the federal government provides the guidance he has been waiting for, adding that he remains committed to strengthening support for public school children across the state.
What House Bill 87 Actually Does
House Bill 87 creates a mechanism that allows North Carolinians to make donations to certain scholarship‑granting organizations and then receive federal reimbursement for those donations once the state opts into the federal program.
- The bill opts North Carolina into the federal program, even though federal guidance has not yet been issued.
- It allows residents to donate to approved scholarship‑granting organizations and later receive federal reimbursement for those contributions.
- Donors may eventually be able to direct their reimbursed dollars to organizations that support public school students, depending on how the state implements the program.
- The bill does not change the state’s public‑school funding formula, though Stein argues it diverts attention and resources away from public schools.
- Implementation details depend on forthcoming rules from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which will determine how reimbursements are processed and tracked
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