North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) removed the income limit to apply for the Opportunity Scholarships that help pay for private school tuition. The Scholarship awards families with up to ,000 based on household income.  Thirty three schools in Durham County currently accept Opportunity Scholarship funds. 

North Carolina has promoted private schools as a stronger way of education, this scholarship has served as an opportunity for families to look beyond their local under-resourced public schools. The state’s K-12 private school voucher program has raised questions of whether the vouchers develop the North Carolina education system. 

“I don’t like the voucher system because it’s going to destroy the public school system,” Hun-yong Jo, a parent of a Durham Academy graduate, said. “And then the government will now try to be heavily reliant on private systems and create more inequality instead of actually upholding public systems and equalizing it.”

Although the funds used for Opportunity Scholarships are segregated from public school funding, the funds are part of the state budget, indirectly affecting Durham County public schools.

The majority of students that have received the scholarships were already enrolled in private schools. According to the North Carolina State Board of Education’s report of Opportunity Scholarships, 6,710 students out of 80,325 attended public schools prior to receiving the scholarship. 

“If we want a strong functioning city and democracy and workforce citizenry, we’re going to have to have really strong public schools.” Head of Durham Academy, Michael Ulku-Steiner said. 

There is an ongoing debate of how the universal access of the scholarship goes against the initial design and intention to help promote accessibility of private schools to lower and middle income families. 

“I think an important question is, does the way the legislation plays out sync up with what it was intended to do in the first place?” Leslie Traba, Durham Academy’s Director of Marketing and Communication, said. 

Durham Academy has built their own financial aid program, helping applicant families to pay for school costs. Durham Academy’s scholarship is purely based on the financial needs of each  family. Parents can submit their financial data and tax returns to check if they qualify for the scholarship. 

Durham Academy currently does not accept Opportunity Scholarship funds but the issue remains under inspection. While the discussion is not currently active, Durham community members and the Durham Academy’s Board of Trustees urges the school to continue evaluating the option.. 

Accepting Opportunity Scholarships would increase government oversight, a central concern for many private schools that are contemplating  if they should participate. Durham Academy said they want to be accountable to families in a direct way. Having control over their own courses and building their own curriculum and program is important to maintain that commitment. 

“It keeps us on our toes to provide a product and services that are relevant and helpful and families keep coming back, so we don’t mind that pressure,” Ulku-Steiner said, “It feels more direct than satisfying the role of a government somewhere who’s indirectly voted by people who may or may not live in Durham, may or may not have children.”

NCSEAA requires annual testing of scholarship students as well as financial oversight, asking schools to contract with a certified public accountant to perform a financial review. These are only a few of the requirements that NCSEAA demands when providing scholarships for private schools. 

“They [private school families] pay extra for a private school, but they’re leaving their tax in the system,” Ulku-Steiner said. “So even all these private school families are funding the public schools and then as that’s chipped away a little bit, that makes me nervous for the school and for the town.”