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Georgia is about to step into a new era in education this school year. The school voucher program, Georgia Promise, will be used for the first time. The multimillion-dollar initiative allows students from low performing school zones to get taxpayer dollars to transfer to a private school
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. – Nearly 8,600 students have been approved to receive funding through Georgia's new Promise Scholarship program, a multimillion-dollar initiative that allows families to use public dollars for private education and other learning options.
The Georgia Student Finance Commission said the state received more than 13,000 applications for the scholarship, which provides $6,500 to students who reside in or previously attended a low-performing public school. Funds can be used for private school tuition, homeschooling, or educational support services such as tutoring and therapy.
What they’re saying:
The program, passed by state lawmakers earlier this year, has drawn strong reactions from both supporters and critics. Backers say it gives families educational choices. Opponents argue it drains resources from public schools and may disproportionately benefit wealthier families.
"It’s another way to undermine public schools," said Verdaillia Turner, president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers. "These are private schools. They can select whoever they want to go and keep anybody they want out."
The other side:
At Go Christian Academy in Douglasville, one of the private schools approved to accept Promise Scholarship recipients, Head of School Monte Beaver said the program is already making a difference.
"I’m excited about what this provides, the potential," Beaver said. "As a private school, we’re interested in seeing how it works."
Twenty students are attending Go Christian Academy this year on the Promise Scholarship. Surprisingly, Beaver said, only four transferred from public schools. Most are returning pre-K students entering kindergarten, and the scholarship covers full tuition for kindergarten and most of the cost for other grades at the school, which serves students through seventh grade.
"We want to keep our kids, and this allows them to stay and afford the tuition," Beaver said. "Most people, in their schools, are happy with their schools. And so, the few that we get are the ones maybe that are not as happy, I guess."
By the numbers:
Of the four public school transfer students at Go Christian Academy, three are Black and one is white. The school did not release socioeconomic data but noted that the scholarship is helping the student body better reflect the surrounding community.
"We are being much more reflective of our community," Beaver said. "The scholarship helps everybody."
Statewide data shows that 64% of Promise recipients have chosen private schools, 16% are using the funds for homeschooling, 14% are applying it toward educational support services, and 6% have yet to finalize how they will use the scholarship.
The Source: FOX 5’s Kevyn Stewart spoke with Verdaillia Turner, president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, and Go Christian Academy Head of School Monte Beaver for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports were also used.
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