# 2505: State of Corruption: The School That Didn't Exist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/2505-state-of-corruption-the-school-that-didn-t-exist
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/2505-state-of-corruption-the-school-that-didn-t-exist.md
Podcast: [PRETEND](https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499)
Published: 2026-02-10T08:00:00+00:00
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Duration seconds: 2377

## Resource

Look, I'm not anti-private school. You want your kid to learn in an environment that matches your beliefs? Cool. To each their own. But should your neighbors be paying for it? North Carolina is funneling half a billion dollars into private schools with almost zero oversight. 87% of new voucher money is going to families who were already paying for private school. Meanwhile, public schools are losing funding and teachers are getting paid near the bottom in the country. In this episode, I talk to a former student, a policy researcher, and a reporter who couldn't find a school that was cashing state checks. Spoiler: it took her seven addresses to track it down. Stephen Cordes — Former student at the Word of Faith Christian School in Spindale, NC Kris Nordstrom — Senior Policy Analyst, NC Justice Center Education & Law Project https://www.ncjustice.org/author/kris-nordstrom/ Blair Reeves — Executive Director, Carolina Forward https://carolinaforward.org/about/ Ann Doss Helms — Former Education Reporter, WFAE (Charlotte's NPR station). 22 years covering education in Charlotte. https://www.wfae.org/people/ann-doss-helms Kris Nordstrom's voucher discrepancy analysis (NC Justice Center) https://www.ncjustice.org/analysis-nc-private-school-voucher-program/ Ann Doss Helms' reporting on TAS Academy (WFAE): Charlotte private school had more vouchers than students: https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-06-27/charlotte-private-school-had-more-vouchers-than-students-and-wheres-the-building The elusive voucher school — some answers and lingering questions: https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-08-01/charlottes-elusive-voucher-school-some-answers-and-lingering-questions Elusive voucher school has a new address in Harrisburg: https://www.wfae.org/education/2024-03-07/elusive-voucher-school-…

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