North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper officially vetoed the controversial House Bill 10 on Friday.
The wide-reaching measure focused on school vouchers and cooperation between ICE and local sheriff's offices among other points:
- HB10 would provide funding to clear the backlog of 55,000 Opportunity Scholarship applicants who attend private schools. It calls for $248 million in nonrecurring funds for Opportunity Scholarships for all students attending private schools. Then, an additional $215 million in recurring funds.
- The bill states that in the event of an ICE detainment request, sheriffs will need to hold people who are undocumented and charged with certain crimes for at least 48 hours before they can be released.
Watch | Cooper officially veto House Bill 10
A newly revised version of the bill provides more funding for school vouchers and mandates local sheriffs honor ICE detention requests.
"This legislation is a real threat to our public schools," Cooper said. "They've set aside $4 billion over the next decade. They've also put in place tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations. There's not going to be any money to invest in public schools and better teacher pay."
Public schools need more money to support our public and youth.
During a news conference at the Executive Mansion Friday, Cooper invited four speakers, all of whom had a background in education.
"Public schools need more money to support our public and youth. I don't understand how the Leandro case can be fought for years with no progress, and then miraculously millions of dollars for vouchers for private education," said Wendi Craven, a Burke County Board of Education Member.
Critics of the bill are concerned about the prospect of taxpayer funding being used toward private education.
"We can use this money that House Bill 10 appropriates to give public school teachers an eight-and-a-half percent raise and $1,500 retention bonus I've proposed already, plus hire more teacher assistants and counselors, and have significant money left over," said Cooper.
What really gets me is that nobody's asking the question of why are so many families trying to get out of traditional public school.
Cooper has made support for public education the centerpiece of his final year in office.
"I am not against private schools and parents choosing that option. It works for some children," he said. "But I am against taking taxpayer dollars out of the public schools and giving it into private schools for the wealthiest North Carolinians."
The amount each family would receive toward private school costs is based on their respective income levels.
"Legislature leadership saw the need to make sure that the lowest income families are funded first. That's why they tiered it. And over half of these recipients have a combined income of $115,000. I would hardly call that family wealthy," said Mike Long, President of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina.
Backers of the bill pushed back, pointing to growing discontent with the public education system, as 52 new private schools opened in the state this year.
"What really gets me is that nobody's asking the question of why are so many families trying to get out of traditional public school," said Donald Bryson, Executive Director of The John Locke Foundation.
RELATED | North Carolina Senate passes controversial bill on school vouchers, immigration
Not all counties have a private school, though Long and Bryson said they believe should this measure pass, private schools would be more likely to open in those respective areas.
"I feel that state funds, when it comes to education, should follow the child. That's why I applaud this legislature leadership who believes the same thing instead of investing in systems, we're investing in children, and we're allowing parents the economic freedom to make decisions as to what works best for them," said Long.
The onus will be on the House and Senate to move forward with a veto override should they want this bill to go into effect.
ICE Cooperation
Though the center of Friday's news conference was on school vouchers, Cooper did respond to a question about a portion that deals with cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
"I've vetoed the sheriff's (portion of the bill) a number of times. Obviously, I'm still opposed to that," said Cooper.
Currently, local sheriffs have the authority to determine whether they will comply with such requests. Previously, Durham Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, a Democrat, criticized the measure, writing in a statement earlier this month:
"House Bill 10 is not only an attack on the immigrant community but also on the ability for sheriffs, like me, to determine how best to serve their communities and keep them safe."
The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association disagreed with Birkhead. In a statement, the group wrote:
House Bill 10 requires that a person taken into custody in North Carolina for whom a federal immigration detainer has been issued shall be taken before a North Carolina judicial official without unnecessary delay. If the judicial official determines that the person appearing before the judicial official is the same person that is subject to the detainer, the person will be held in custody in compliance with a North Carolina court order issued by a North Carolina judicial official.
The Association appreciates the legislature for its willingness: (1) not to impose onerous recordkeeping requirements on our state's 100 sheriffs; and (2) not to interject the Attorney General into these judicial matters.
In recognition of the improvements to House Bill 10 made by the General Assembly, the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association SUPPORTS the provisions of House Bill 10 that relate to the Office of Sheriff as enacted by the General Assembly.
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland Tim Moore said he believes that the legislature has the necessary votes for an override; Republicans hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate.
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