Bill to expand Georgia school voucher access, backed by Lt. Gov., goes before committee

Yahoo

20-02-2025

A new bill supported by Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones would expand the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act to include foster care children and adopted children.
The initial scholarship legislation, which passed last year, is more popularly known as Georgia's school voucher law.
Senate Bill 233 set up the Promise Scholarships in an effort that its supporters say would improve educational outcomes in low-performing school zones. It provides up to $6,500 to children and families at schools with low achievement rates and allows them to either pay for tuition at a private or charter school, as well as cover costs of school supplies.
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The bill also allowed the funds to be provided to home-school families for similar purposes.
The new bill, SB 152, would expand those eligible to include biological or adopted children of individuals who are foster parents and meet other qualifying conditions for the Georgia Promise Scholarships.
The qualifications to receive the scholarships has already faced several starts and stops related to what areas are eligible.
The Georgia Office of Student Achievement has, to date, published multiple versions of a list of what it called low-performing schools that would factor into the qualifiers for getting the $6,500 in voucher program funds.
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As Channel 2 Action News has previously reported, there were some issues with the broadness of how state officials interpret the provisions of last year's voucher bill, due to the wording.
The current version of the bill that is in effect would allow anyone living in an attendance zone near a low-performing school to apply for a voucher. However, the current official interpretation would allow students zoned for schools to apply for vouchers, even if the one they attend is not performing poorly.
That zoning issue is based on grade levels. For example, if an elementary school student lives in a zone with a low-performing high school, they may still apply for the voucher, even though they do not attend the high school yet.
While some lawmakers have called for this to be narrowed with legislation during the 2025 legislative session, efforts have not proceeded yet.
The latest legislation related to voucher accessibility is split, with the bill supported by Jones seeking to expand potential beneficiaries to foster care and adopted children, while on the other side of the political aisle, some lawmakers want to repeal the current voucher program entirely.
In the meantime, Jones said he supports the bill because it will provide more resources for foster care parents as they make education decisions.
'As a longtime proponent of school choice, I was proud of the Senate for leading the way to pass Senate Bill 233, the most substantive initiative in decades,' Jones said in a statement. 'President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to expand educational freedom and opportunity for families, and we are proposing the same in Georgia.'
Jones also said the new legislation would not change the existing program criteria, funding level or eligibility requirements.
The Georgia Senate has not voted on the bill in any committee or on the floor yet, though the bill will be before the Senate Education and Youth Committee Thursday afternoon.
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