(The Center Square) — Georgia lawmakers missed an opportunity to expand educational opportunities for Peach State students when they failed to pass a bill to establish state-funded education savings accounts, a nonprofit said Thursday.
The Georgia Center for Opportunity pointed to Indiana and South Carolina, which passed measures recently to create education scholarship accounts. The accounts generally allow recipients to use the money for educational expenses, including tuition for private schools.
“We’re seeing an increasing tide of states choosing to give all students access to the best education for their unique needs,” Buzz Brockway, GCO’s vice president of public policy. “It’s a shame that Georgia didn’t join that list this year.
“If Georgia lawmakers had passed Senate Bill 233 this session, eligible families would have had access to $6,500 to find the best educational option for their child,” Brockway added. “As it stands, these kids will remain stuck in schools that aren’t the right fit for them. Even so, we have hope for the 2024 short session with lawmakers will have another chance to advance education opportunity for all.”
A report from Public Funds Public Schools, a project by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Education Law Center, reveals that Georgia has two education programs: the Special Needs Scholarship Program, which started in 2007 and is a traditional voucher program, and the Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit program, which began in 2008.
In fiscal 2009, the state’s spending on the voucher programs totaled $11.1 million, while per-pupil funding for public education was $10,536, the group said in its analysis. In fiscal 2019, the state’s spending on vouchers increased to more than $109.1 million, while per-pupil funding for public education was $10,336.
Separately, a recent index from the Heritage Foundation found Georgia ranked 14th in the nation for its educational freedom.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
