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The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a bill to provide state-funded scholarships to low-income families who want to send their children to some of the state’s most costly private schools, passed the Georgia General Assembly and is just a step away from becoming law.
If Gov. Brian Kemp signs the measure as expected, it’s likely to be a catalyst for the hopes–and fears–of parents and education advocates statewide. So what’s it all mean for Black students in Georgia public schools and their families? Capital B analyzed key parts of the bill and spoke to experts to help you know what to expect.
Also known as Senate Bill 233, the legislation is in line with conservative policy makers’ vision of school choice, the idea that taxpayer dollars are better spent helping students move to private schools rather than on fixing struggling public schools.
For many Black families, it’s a conundrum since troubled public schools tend to be clustered in low-income communities populated by nonwhite families and since there aren’t enough funds or private school seats for every student to move. Opponents say the act will exacerbate existing problems by diverting public funds from struggling schools, while supporters say the creation of the new promise scholarship will help thousands of students access education options they otherwise could not afford.
Georgia already has two existing school choice programs: a voucher specifically for students with disabilities and a tax-credit scholarship program. This new legislation uses a different model by setting up self-directed, publicly-funded scholarship accounts with as much as $6,500 per student for families to pay for qualified alternative school expenses like private school tuition, homeschooling materials or transportation.
The state will administer the accounts through a newly-created Georgia Education Savings Authority, which would distribute funds and handle record-keeping.
The bill states that the program won’t spend more than 1% of the state’s school funding, or around $141 million at current levels.
The program would be accessible to students zoned for a school ranked in the bottom 25% of the Georgia Department of Education’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index for at least two consecutive years. CCRPI tracks whether schools adequately prepare students for college or careers. It assigns numerical scores between 0 and 100 in categories including “content mastery,” “progress,” “closing gaps,” and “readiness.”
In 2023, 12 Atlanta Public Schools scored at or below 25% in content mastery: Carver High School, South Atlanta High School, Frederick Douglass High School, Charles L. Gideons Elementary School, Continental Colony Elementary, The Henry Louis “Hank Aaron” New Beginnings Academy, Harper-Archer Elementary School, Luther J. Price Middle School, Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy, T.H. Slater Elementary School, Boyd Elementary School and Woodson Park Academy. All students living within these identified school zones are eligible if they have attended the school for two consecutive semesters or are entering kindergarten. Parents must also be a Georgia resident for at least one year unless they are active duty military.
Students who are already recipients of a scholarship, tuition grant, or other benefit from a student scholarship organization are ineligible, as are those enrolled in schools operated by the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.
Priority will be given to children whose families who earn less than four times the federal poverty level. For a family of four in 2024, that is about $31,000 annually. Reports have stated that the program would serve about 21,500 students statewide.
But the legislation doesn’t include a maximum household income limit, meaning families above poverty level would also be eligible as long as they live in a qualifying school zone.
There’s no word on when officials will set up the new authority or get applications and accounts up and running once SB 233 becomes law. The bill does provide a broad outline that might be helpful for interested parents watching the program unfold.
Parents will need to apply to the education savings authority no later than the deadline it establishes after it gets off the ground. Once accepted, a child’s parents will take full responsibility for their account and ensure funds are only used to pay outstanding balances for their education option of choice, including the cost of transportation to and from the participating school or service provider.
If accepted, a student can get these funds until they either go back to a public school, graduate from high school, or turn 20 (age 21 for special education students). However, if a student used the program before going back to public school, they need to apply again if they want to use the program a second time.
The bill’s text also includes some interesting rejoinders. Despite eligibility criteria limiting participation to students whose zoned schools are low performing, the bill says that doesn’t mean the public school they attended didn’t provide them with a proper education. It also absolves the state from admitting any fault by granting the program or account.
And if a student joins this program, their original school doesn’t have to continue providing them with wraparound services unless the student decides to return to that school.
Capital B is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to uncovering important stories — like this one —about how Black people experience America today. As more and more important information disappears behind paywalls, it’s crucial that we keep our journalism accessible and free for all. But we can’t publish pieces like this without your help. If you support our mission, please consider becoming a member by making a tax-deductible donation. Thank you!
Sydney Sims is the youth and education reporter for Capital B Atlanta. Twitter @bySydneySims More by Sydney Sims
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