Former North Carolina Governor and Senate candidate Roy Cooper has a habit of not answering questions about his soft-on-crime record, and twice in the past month, he's dodged reporters who asked him about releasing DeCarlos Brown, Jr., who murdered Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail system.
But that's not the only problem plaguing Cooper's Senate aspirations. It turns out Cooper has also lied repeatedly about his children attending public schools while waging a war on school choice in North Carolina.
North Carolina Hypocrite Democrat Governor Roy Cooper just posted this video saying "I went to public schools and so did my children."
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) March 27, 2024
His daughter graduated from a private school. pic.twitter.com/91Dq2jNlVD
This is a lie that Cooper has repeated several times, including on Roland Martin's podcast. "I grew up in eastern North Carolina, went to public schools in eastern North Carolina," Cooper said. That is just not true. Cooper's daughter Natalie attended the elite St. Mary's School, a private school in Raleigh, where the tuition was $39,144 per year in 2011 (the year Cooper's daughter graduated) with an additional "comprehensive fee" of $2,950. In 2026, the tuition is $66,500.
Meanwhile, Cooper has denied a quality private education to other North Carolina students. In 2017, Cooper said he opposed a voucher program for private schools, claiming there's a "lack of accountability."
"I am very concerned and have opposed vouchers because of the lack of accountability. We really don’t know what these schools are doing or how they are performing," he said. "Instead, we need to invest in our public schools." That same year, his wife, Kristin Cooper, was the commencement speaker at St. Mary's School commencement.
Cooper called school vouchers a "waste" as well, calling for their elimination.
To impress Trump and Musk, NC Republican legislators have started a state “DOGE.” The waste they should eliminate is private school vouchers for the wealthy. Public school students are getting shortchanged, especially in rural areas. https://t.co/QgwEfz5vAG
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) March 17, 2025
Cooper declared 2024 "the year of public schools" and once again lied in an ad about his children attending public schools. "But our public schools are at risk, because the legislature is trying to dismantle them. They plan to spend $4 billion of your taxpayer money on private school tuition with no income limit."
"These private school vouchers will take millions from our public schools, hurting students, teachers, and local economies. And the private schools that get this taxpayer money don't even have to tell taxpayers how they're spending it," Cooper said.
Cooper also vetoed HB10, legislation that would have expanded North Carolina's voucher program. In his veto, Cooper wrote, "This bill takes public taxpayer dollars from the public schools and gives it to private school vouchers that will be used by wealthy families. Studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance, but we won't know with North Carolina's voucher scheme because it has the least accountability in the country."
HB10 allocated about $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program, in part to eliminate the waitlist for families who are otherwise qualified for vouchers, with lower-income families given priority. That funding also helps middle-class families, with families of four earning up to $116,000 a year qualifying for the program, too.
The Republican-controlled legislature overrode Cooper's veto of HB10, clearing the way for the 54,000 students on the waitlist to obtain vouchers.
Voters in North Carolina deserve a Senator who will represent them and their interests openly and honestly. While Roy Cooper waged a war on the state's private schools and the voucher program, he sent his daughter to one of the most elite private schools in the state. And then he repeatedly lied about doing so.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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