State officials have approved the initial components of a program that would let qualifying families use up to $6,500 of public money for education expenses, including private school tuition.
The program is part of Senate Bill 233, known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, approved by state lawmakers earlier this year. The Georgia Education Savings Authority board, which oversees the scholarship program, approved the guidelines with little discussion during a brief meeting Monday.
To qualify, students would need to be zoned to attend a public school where test scores are in the bottom 25% of the state. Students entering kindergarten at those schools could also qualify. The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement is expected to release the test data Dec. 1, officials said.
In addition to residency requirements, families will have to qualify based on need. Those earning less than 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $124,000 for a family of four, will receive priority. If spaces are left, families earning above that level can qualify.
Private schools interested in participating in the program need to be accredited or in the process of becoming accredited. They have to comply with state health and safety laws and are required to administer standardized tests to students who receive the scholarship to track their achievement. They are required to report other data to state officials, including how much money is received on behalf of each student.
Applications for private schools to join the program will be available Wednesday.
The Georgia Education Savings Authority plans to partner with a vendor to create a marketplace where parents can shop for services such as tuition, tutoring, specialized therapy and transportation. The authority may charge an administrative fee to parents of 5% for those services.
The new program is the third one in Georgia that uses public money to help fund private education. Critics, who say the program will divert funding from some public schools, refer to them as “vouchers,” although supporters bristle at the term. A special needs scholarship program was established in 2007 and has since been expanded. Lawmakers developed a tax credit scholarship in 2008 that has also grown in the years since.
The new program will take effect July 1, 2025.
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