May 16, 2013
To the North Carolina General Assembly:
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education has asked me to voice our school district’s support for HB 904 which would allow qualified undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition while attending North Carolina’s public institutions of higher education.
Our school district has a long-standing commitment to providing all students with an education that qualifies them for pursuing the college or career of their choice. Most undocumented students cannot afford out-of-state tuition, and current policy forbids them from receiving federal aid or scholarships due to their undocumented status. Though many of our students apply and are accepted into our universities, few can afford to actually attend.
The knowledge of their limited options for post-secondary education has a demoralizing impact on undocumented students and contributes to dropouts in our school district. Consequently, this makes it harder for us to comply with state and federal directives to increase our high school graduation rates.
Perhaps more importantly, these undocumented students deserve the benefits of in-state tuition in our universities, and our state deserves the benefits of a highly educated population. We know these students. They are a part of our community, and many of them want to continue to contribute to the development of North Carolina’s prosperity.
Allowing these high-achieving students to receive in-state tuition means allowing these talented young people the opportunity to succeed in North Carolina. We should not wait any longer because we have already seen too many students negatively impacted by existing policies. These students are looking for a bright future and we share their hope. We call on the General Assembly to pass HB 904 for the good of all North Carolinians.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Forcella
Superintendent of Schools
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