New school voucher law passed in the Georgia House of Representatives. The margin of votes was not large enough.

ATLANTA, Georgia - Your tax dollars could be used to send some Georgia students to private schools. The Georgia House of Representatives narrowly passed a counter-version bill to use state money to pay for a portion of private school for children from low-performing schools. Speaker John Burns supported the bill in a House committee meeting Monday.

"We empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children and give them the tools they need to succeed in future generations!" - the Screven County Republican said in a statement after Thursday's vote.

Governor Brian Kemp has stated publicly that he would like to see the school choice bill passed this year.The bill passed the State Assembly by the narrowest of margins. A two-thirds majority was required for the bill to pass, and the bill received 91 votes.

Senate Bill 233, known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, would provide $6,500 vouchers to students already enrolled in public schools whose results are in the bottom 25 percent in the state.

People who support vouchers believe it gives parents a choice. Those who oppose vouchers believe it takes funding away from public schools that need resources.

Republican Rep. Mesha Minor switched parties last year. She had a different attitude than most Democratic lawmakers who opposed the bill.

"In District 56, some of these schools have 2-3% literacy in reading and math, which means 97-98% can't read or do math, but our colleagues tell you that's OK," Minor said.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Buckner worries about funding for already struggling schools.

"Because funding is based on the number of kids in a desk, and if the desks are empty because the kids left with a voucher, there will be less money for the schools," Buckner said.

Supporters, such as Jacqueline Harn of the American Prosperity Foundation, believe the bill could open doors for students and provide them with a better education.

"We believe that funding should follow the student, essentially, if a student doesn't have the opportunity to attend a school that fits their individual needs, because all children are different in that aspect, they should have the right to use the funds and attend whatever school that best fits their system or best fits them as a child," Harn said.

But critics like Democratic Rep. David Wilkerson of District 38 say that means tax dollars from across Georgia are likely to exclusively benefit children in big cities like Atlanta, Macon and Savannah.

“If this goes through, it will likely be the largest redistribution of wealth from rural areas to the cities,” Wilkerson said.

The Republicans hope to bring the bill to a conclusion by the end of the current legislative session, which will end on March 28.

Georgia's efforts are part of a national wave of Republicans supporting education bills following the pandemic and debates over what children should learn in public schools. However, school choice has not always been a given in all Republican states. Years of efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott have been undermined by opposition from rural GOP supporters. Like in Texas, most Republican opponents in Georgia come from rural areas where public schools are the foundation of family well-being.

The foundation of Georgia's plan remains the same as last year, but it is supplemented by provisions proposed in other bills. Among them are the establishment of salary increases for teachers in the state funding system for Georgia's elementary and secondary education, providing state assistance for the construction and equipping of public pre-K program buildings, allowing students to enroll in other public school districts that will accept them, and increasing tax benefits for donations to public schools.

The phrase about increasing teachers' salaries is partially symbolic - in recent years, lawmakers have raised salaries through budget laws.

Supporters argue that vouchers for private school tuition, equipment for home learning, therapy, tutoring, or even early college admission for high school students from poorly performing schools will help these children.

Opponents of the bill believe that the program for necessary funding of public schools is being diverted towards private schools, which discriminate against people who do not share their social and religious views. They also argue that the state amount of $6,500 is insufficient to cover private school costs for those in need. Democrats have unsuccessfully attempted to introduce amendments to the bill that would require private schools to accept all applicants and mandate state certification for all teachers in private schools participating in the program.

“I don’t like that we can’t establish at least minimal quality standards for private schools,” said Steven Owens, director of the education department at the independent Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. “Otherwise, it seems overly submissive to private schools rather than to children.”

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