Latest news with #SenateBill233
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What Senate Bill 233 and the Georgia Promise Act means for those in Richmond County
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Applications are now open for the Georgia Promise Scholarship which helps families of students at underperforming schools afford private school tuition or home school. This gives eligible families $6,500 for private school tuition or home school expenses. 'The money goes to the parent to use it for whatever purpose they want to use it as it relates to that child's education,' State Rep. Karlton Howard said. The Governor's Office of Student Achievement released a list last month of public schools that qualify for new vouchers — which were created by the State Legislature last year. 'It passed last year; it was designed to help 21,000 students in Georgia. But there was some semantics in the language that were challenged in court, and as it turns out, now there are 400,000 students that qualify for the same funds,' Rep. Howard said. Those students are from schools that are in the lowest 25th percentile– calculated by the College and Career Ready Performance Index individual scores from previous school years. And it includes dozens of Richmond County Schools. 'Of the state average scores, then that school qualifies– any student at that school qualifies for the $6,500 dollar scholarship. But they're– again like I said– but the issue became, now if there is only one school in the school system that is a failing school in the lower 25 percentile, the whole system qualifies,' Rep. Howard said. He also says he believes this could make it hard for public schools– especially some in Richmond County. 'That QBE Formula has not been addressed or modified in over 40 years– about 40 years. Which means schools are not being funded properly, first of all, and if they're properly funded, I think we can do better. Teachers need more pay, there need to be more facilities up to date, they need to have more security. And there's a lot more they can do if they had more funding.' If your student attends one of the schools on the list – you can submit an application for the Georgia Promise Scholarship by the April deadline. To find out if your student is eligible just visit. If you would like to learn more about Senate Bill 233: Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School List Calculation To view the list of eligible schools visit: Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School For further information visit: Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School List Richmond County School System Interim Superintendent Dr. Malinda Cobb says, Monday, in a statement: 'We strongly believe that our schools have outstanding educators and students who have grown greatly over the past few years. We've achieved historic increases in our graduation rate, had several schools exit federal improvement lists, and released information about CCRPI that shows widespread improvement across elementary, middle, and high schools for all measured components in career and college readiness for the third year in a row. We've made great strides and understand that we have more progress to make in closing gaps.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Georgia Democrats want to repeal the Promise Scholarship school voucher program
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. Jan. 2025: Benedictine Military School to host Savannah private, independent school job fair 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 JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram or @JoeInTheKnowSMN at This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: To apply or to not apply? Georgia Promise Scholarship pros and cons
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to expand Georgia school voucher access, backed by Lt. Gov., goes before committee
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. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 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. RELATED STORIES: Georgia republishes list of low-performing schools eligible for voucher program Georgia school voucher program may be in jeopardy due to confusion over the law State takes down list of low-performing schools where students are eligible for voucher program Georgia $6,500 school vouchers: What to know about the bill heading to Gov. Kemp's desk Georgia moves forward in creating voucher program for private and home schools 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. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Deadline approaches for families to apply to new Georgia Promise Scholarship
ATLANTA - Hundreds of thousands of Georgia parents can soon apply for a $6,500 scholarship to pay for private school tuition or home-schooling expenses under the Georgia Promise Scholarship. MORE:Georgia school voucher program expanded to more students by new agency What we know Students who qualify must either have attended a public school for two consecutive semesters or be kindergartners about to enroll. Parents must have been Georgia residents for at least a year unless they were on active military duty. Also, only students who attend the lowest performing 25% of schools under the state's academic rating system are eligible. For families trying to plan for next fall's academic year, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement has not provided an estimated release date for that list of schools. The first application window for the Georgia Promise Scholarship opens on March 1. The scholarship program is a result of Senate Bill 233. It was signed into law last year. It limits spending to 1% of the $14.1 billion that Georgia spends on its K-12 school funding formula, or $141 million. That could provide about 20,000 scholarships. Critics have said lawmakers should focus on improving outcomes at public schools, instead. What they're saying Kyle Wingfield, President of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a group advocating for expanding school choice in the state, spoke with Good Day Atlanta's Kaitlyn Pratt on Sunday, addressing criticism. "This isn't about public versus other. It's about the best fit for the child," he said. "We know one size doesn't fit all for every child. Every child deserves the chance to get into the education setting that will allow them to best have their needs met and fulfill their potential." What you can do There are multiple application windows. The first runs from March 1 to April 15. The following periods include June 1 to June 30; Sept. 1 to Sept. 30; and Dec. 1 to Jan. 31, initial funding for approved student accounts will be at the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the Georgia Promise Scholarship website. The Source FOX 5's Kaitlyn Pratt reported on this story out of Atlanta. Additional reporting came from previous FOX 5 stories by Marc Teichner, Christopher King and the Associated Press.
