Support for North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program is reflected in a 500% increase in applications, with 3 in 5 respondents responding to a poll conducted Sunday and Monday.
Approval ratings remain close in presidential and gubernatorial races, with inflation the top issue, and a Carolina Journal poll released Thursday found 64% say America is on the “wrong path.” replied. 600 registered voters responded, with an overall confidence interval of +/- 3.99%.
During a long legislative session last year, North Carolina became the 10th state in the nation to create universal school choice for more than 1.5 million K-12 students, benefiting from the Republican triumvirate in state government. It was the first state to do so without having to pass. The state's $60.7 billion two-year spending plan includes $17.3 billion in the current fiscal year, a 6.1% increase, and $17.9 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year, a 9.5% increase.
Opportunity Scholarships to attend the school of your choice, including private schools, are available to all students K-12. This budget strengthens accountability through mandatory student testing for schools with scholar opportunities.
Not everyone who applies will be awarded a scholarship. Applicants will be selected based on these criteria. When asked in the poll whether funding should be increased, 41.1% said yes and 15.7% said it should remain at the same level. 19.7% said they did not support the program and 23.1% were unsure.
The findings come as President Joe Biden unveiled details of a higher education plan in which 74,160 North Carolina student borrowers will receive more than $3.6 billion in loan forgiveness, meaning taxpayers will receive more than $3.6 billion in loan forgiveness. Published in the week. Even last year, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Biden's attempt to cancel $400 billion in student debt through the HEROES Act.
Biden has announced two other plans since his defeat at the nation's highest court.
The country's 46th president advanced in the magazine's poll from the previous month. The poll fell 5.2 points in the March poll, and the current poll shows the 81-year-old Democrat trailing 77-year-old Republican former President Donald Trump, 43.4% to 39%.
The gubernatorial election was also close. Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson leads Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein 39.9% to 37.9%. Robinson was up 5 points a month ago.
When asked if they would spend more on groceries, 80.7% of respondents said yes. Of those, 93% said the country was heading in the wrong direction.
When asked about U.S. goals, 64.3% said the U.S. is on the “wrong track” and 27.2% said it is on the “right track.” Biden's approval rating is 34.6%, while Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's approval rating is 44.2%.
