House Bill 10 was recently vetoed by Governor Cooper specifically because it gives hundreds of millions more dollars to private school vouchers despite the income level of applicants.

It also increases the annual amount to the voucher program per year.

It specifically calls it a “critical need.”

Well, here’s another critical need.

The majority of those western North Carolina towns that were severely hit by Helene are represented by lawmakers who supported the expansion of vouchers that would take away almost a half-billion dollars from our public schools across the state. To override the governor’s veto on such a bill at this time with actual “critical needs” and still use taxpayer money to send students of wealthy families to private schools in areas not impacted by Helene would be egregious.

And those same lawmakers could now ask for those “rainy day” funds that many have called the state budget surpluses (built on working people’s backs) to actually be used.

Because it rained a lot.