State releases first list of schools where students can qualify for vouchers
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) has released it’s first list of low-performing public schools in Georgia whose students would qualify for the Georgia Promise Scholarship, vouchers to attend a private school or to defer expenses for home schooling, or other approved expenses.
The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233), which was sponsored by Greg Dolezal (R-27) and carried in the House by Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones, provides vouchers of up to $6,500.00 a year per student in public schools that fall into the lowest 25th percentile based on calculations by the Georgia Department of Education’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index for at least two consecutive years. Governor Kemp signed the bill into law on April 25.
“We know it’s not the government’s role to dictate to families what the best choice is for their child,” Kemp said. “It is our job to support them in making that decision.”
In the first year of the program, 107 schools have made the list.
Families who wish to apply for the funds for the 2025-2026 school year will have to complete an online application form, which will be available in early 2025. Initial funding will become available July 1, 2025. While the application is not available yet, families can sign up to receive notices on the Georgia Promises Scholarship website: https://mygeorgiapromise.org/#howitworks.
Speaking to media outlets other than Peach Pundit, Buzz Brockway, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s vice president of public policy, said in a statement, “It recognizes that Georgia is a diverse state with a diverse set of needs for education. After years of work, this bill is a positive step toward shaping an education system that honors every child’s unique situation and prevents a lack of quality education from locking children and communities into poverty.”
According to the legislation, the Georgia Promise Scholarship will be prioritized for families earning less than 400% of the federal poverty level as the scholarship is capped at 1% of the previous fiscal year’s Quality Basic Education Program (QBE) appropriation. 1% would be approximately $140 million which would fund over 21,000 scholarships for the next academic year.
I don’t think that vouchers are the way to fix our education system, because ultimately you’re going to pull more and more funding away from school systems that are already underperforming. However, I also understand that trying to improve a school’s performance is not an overnight process and the students that are currently in school deserve the best education that they can receive, because that’s part of the promise of our country, and a voucher that allows them to attend a better school might be the only quick solution and we can’t continue to sacrifice student outcomes while administrations try to right the ship.
I will also say that it appears that Georgia has put some very serious thought into trying to get vouchers into the hands of families who are most in need, rather than just throwing them to anyone who wants them. That shows a good sense of responsibility.
My only 2 questions would be A: are there concerns that private schools, who generally have a desire to maintain an air of exclusivity, will simply raise their tuitions by $6500? And B: 400% of the federal poverty level for a family of 4 is a little over $120k/yr, which is pretty solidly middle class. Shouldn’t funds be made more available to those who would need them more, say at 200% of the federal poverty level?