Home Schooling Alert

This is from the North Carolinians for Home Education:

Should N.C. homeschoolers report to public school authorities?

They will soon, under a plan announced today to a joint appropriations committee – if the committee approves.

Secretary of Administration Gwynn Swinson today presented Governor Easley's latest budget proposal, which would move the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) under the authority of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), ending twenty-five years of independence for non-public education in North Carolina.

Secretary Swinson explained this as a cost saving benefit and a way to "deal with the proliferation of homeschoolers" in the state. Some committee members expressed interest in increasing oversight of homeschoolers."

REASONS NCHE STRONGLY OPPOSES THIS PLAN

• DNPE was separated from DPI in 1979 in order to protect the independence of private education from the public school bureaucracy.

• Homeschooling has never been under the control of the public school system in North Carolina.

• Numerous studies in North Carolina and other states have shown homeschooling to be an effective means of preparing children for adult responsibilities -- without government control, direction, intervention, or funding.

Non-public education saves the state $980 million annually in student appropriations, according to Secretary Swinson. The independence and freedom we enjoy under North Carolina law has promoted this growth. Why change a system which upholds personal choice and yields such benefits for all North Carolina taxpayers?