Why Georgia Democrats want to repeal the Promise Scholarship school voucher program

Yahoo

27-02-2025

Georgia families eligible for the Promise Scholarship program have between March 1 and April 15 to apply, unless Georgia Democrats repeal Senate Bill 233, also known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.
Georgia House Rep. Lisa Campbell (D-District 35) along with the Georgia House Democratic Caucus held a press conference Monday afternoon at the Georgia State Capitol in support of House Bill 436, which calls for the repeal. Arguments by school voucher proponents and opponents, nationally and in Georgia, tend to fall along political lines with Republicans leading the charge on school choice while Democrats tend to advocate for increased investment in public school education.
Campbell and other Promise opponents say the program is not worth the $141 million investment from Georgia's education budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. They cite data on outcomes from similar programs in states like Arizona, Ohio, Louisiana and Indiana. Georgia democrats claim those states show vouchers do not hold private schools fiscally accountable, lead to lower academic outcomes, and provide students with fewer disability rights and protections.
School voucher proponents such as advocacy nonprofit EdChoice claim the majority of parents want school choice options. In October 2024, the national nonprofit published survey data of American families that claims "70% of Republicans and Democrats support ESAs [education savings accounts]" like the Promise Scholarship.
Kyle Wingfield, president and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, said in a recent interview, "We believe that every child learns differently." He said while many public schools may serve most students very well, the schools may not serve every single student's unique needs.
Wingfield said Promise's main aim is to provide lower-income families with the financial resources to pursue alternative school options if they are dissatisfied with their assigned public school. He added that the program was not designed for families with higher incomes. He said those families can more readily exercise choice by sending students to private schools or moving to areas "with a better public school."
He also noted that Georgia's program has a public school attendance requirement to limit eligible applicants, unlike other states such as Arizona, which has experienced budget shortfalls due in large part to its voucher program.
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) Senior Education Analyst Ashley Young argued that Promise's $6,500 per student (minus administrative fees) will not help impoverished families overcome the private school tuition cost barrier.
According to the Education Data Initiative the average cost of K-12 private school tuition in Georgia in 2024 was $11,963. As of Feb. 8, the organization calculated that Georgia spends about $14,660 annually per K-12 public school student, which includes federal, state and local tax dollars. The Promise Scholarship amount only accounts for state funding. Families would not receive local or federal tax dollars to supplement the Promise Scholarship funds.
That is if families are even awarded funds, since even those who choose to apply may have to contend with Promise demand exceeding availability. The Georgia Education Savings Authority's Promise rules and regulations greatly expanded the student eligibility pool to nearly 400,000 despite state funding for only 21,000 to 22,000 scholarship accounts.
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Another major point of contention for the GBPI and Democratic opponents of Promise is private school accountability, or perceived lack thereof.
Young expressed GBPI's concern that students with disabilities who accept Promise Scholarship funds are waiving their right to a free and appropriate public education or FAPE, which is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education's Section 504. The federal legislation does not require private schools to adhere to the full FAPE, but only requires that private schools provide "reasonable accommodations."
Opponents have also raised concerns that while the state assesses public schools on students' standardized test performance, such as the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS), the state does not oversee private schools in this manner.
Public schools also receive funding based on the Quality Basic Education formula, which includes enrollment numbers. Private schools are not beholden to state-mandated enrollment calculations. They are also not assessed for performance under the same College and Career Readiness Performance Index standards that Georgia public schools are. The index was also used to determine the lowest 25% of schools eligible for Promise Scholarship consideration.
Wingfield pointed out that the Promise rules state that private schools must be accredited, or be in theprocess of receiving accreditation, by one of seven GESA-approved accrediting agencies, such as the Georgia Accrediting Commission or the Association of Christian Schools International.
He also referred to page 25 of the Promise Act legislation that provides for private school achievement measurement through "no fewer than three nationally norm-referenced tests that measure student academic progress in math and language arts." GESA is tasked with annual assessment administration. Additionally, GESA, or an organization it choses, will also receive and collect assessment and graduation data for Promise students, whether attending private schools or homeschool programs, so that the state can group the data by "grade level, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and English language proficiency."
As families review the dense information within the Promise Scholarship Family Handbook, Savannah schools on the approved private school list have application process deadlines that may have already passed or are well underway.
For example Savannah Country Day School's priority admissions deadline for 2025-2026 has already passed. The school's Second-Round Admissions Deadline is March 26, yet the Promise scholarship application window runs March 1 through April 15. Families will find out if their student will receive funds in "early 2025," according to the Promise Family Handbook.
Country Day does consider applications on a space available basis beyond the second-round deadline, but its initial admission assessment dates ended on Jan. 25. The school's application and assessment fee is $175.
Benedictine Military School's admission process deadline for the 2025-2026 academic year (which requires a $125 application fee as well as assessments on specific dates that have already passed) was December 2024.
Risen Savior Christian Academy's admissions applications went online Jan. 15. The Pooler private school sent out first-round admissions decisions Feb. 7. If space is limited, applicants may be placed in a waiting pool, for which families would still need to pay the $55 application fee.
Regardless of Georgia Promise Scholarship account status, private schools also reserve the right to choose which students will be admitted.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [e-mail] and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram or @JoeInTheKnowSMN at X.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: To apply or to not apply? Georgia Promise Scholarship pros and cons