The News-Oberver in North Carolina reported that a court put a freeze on the voucher program passed by the legislature:
“The state school voucher plan remains frozen after the N.C. Appeals Court this week rejected requests to lift a lower court’s injunction.
“A Superior Court judge in February halted the new program that would have given parents up $4,200 in taxpayer money to help pay their children’s private school tuition.
“Two parents who want to use vouchers asked the Appeals Court to lift the legal freeze.
“The N.C. School Boards Association and state residents, backed the the N.C. Justice Center and the N.C. Association of Educators, are suing to stop vouchers. Among their claims is the program violates the state constitution.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I wonder if any voucher cases are on track to eventually get to SCOTUS. That’s scary with this court.
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They already took an Ohio case, in 2002. This is the voucher decision:
“Held: The program does not offend the Establishment Clause.”
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=00-1751&friend=nytimes
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Incidentally, the private schools don’t perform any better on state tests than the Cleveland public schools do.
The SCOTUS case came out of a Cleveland voucher program.
“The push is on to expand school voucher programs in Ohio, but new state data suggests that students who attend private schools with the help of taxpayer-funded vouchers don’t necessarily fare better academically than the children they leave behind.
Cleveland public school students often outperformed voucher students on 2009-10 state proficiency tests, according to data from the Ohio Department of Education. Last year was the first time Cleveland voucher students were required to take the tests since the Cleveland program began in 1995.
Students in Educational Choice Scholarship Program, a newer voucher plan for other struggling districts in Ohio, have taken the tests for two years. Comparisons of 2009-10 data for other large cities shows that their public school students also scored better than voucher students in many cases.”
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/02/cleveland_students_hold_own_wi.html
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In NC,we won’t know if students perform better on state tests because private schools are not required to administer the same test. They just have to give a nationally recognized test of their choosing. Also, results are not made public unless at least 25 voucher students attend the school.
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This is the voucher case compliant. It’s based on the state constitution. North Carolina’s is interesting, because it has this language:
“shall be faithfully appropriated and used EXCLUSIVELY for a program of establishing and maintaining a system of free public schools”
Emphasis mine on “exclusively” but IMO it doesn’t get much clearer than that 🙂
Not private schools. Only public schools. That’s what it says.
Click to access VoucherComplaint.pdf
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It’s obvious that most of the elected government is corrupt one way or the other and there aren’t enough honest representatives to depend on in every state. That means the courts will be the only recourse and that’s if the judges are honest and without bias.
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The headlines should read:
“Lawyers in State Legislature pass UNCONSTITUTIONAL laws”
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Perhaps “Bought and Paid for Lawyers in State Legislature Pass Unconstitutional Laws.”
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I’m so happy about this. Many elected officials in North Carolina are trying to destroy public education. The voucher program does not serve anyone well particularly the poor.
Sarah Winchell
Teaching Resources for the Classroom Blog
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How about a one time $500 voucher, as long as the parents give up their right to return to public schools. How’s that sound? As absurd as what they offered teachers? Hello.
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The 300 students possibly returning to public schools – will their test scores be used to evaluate their new teachers?
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It’s late, I’m tired and this comment was meant for the more recent about the charter school in NC closing. Sigh.
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VOUCHER = RED HERRINGS
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