Residents in Cobb County may hear from unexpected visitors during the upcoming holiday: advocates for private school vouchers.
The Georgia wing of a libertarian advocacy network is vowing a relentless air and ground campaign in favor of Senate Bill 233, a measure that would send public dollars to private schools.
About 10 people from Americans for Prosperity knocked on doors and delivered handbills in Cobb Tuesday morning, said Tony West, the group’s Georgia director.
Their message: support lawmakers who voted for the measure and pressure those who opposed it.
“If you like the idea of this bill, you need to give your member a call and let them know,” West said.
They’re knocking in Cobb because it’s the home district of Rep. Don Parsons, R-Marietta, one of 16 Republicans who blocked the GOP measure in the House of Representatives after it passed the Senate in March.
The handbill targeting Parsons includes his phone number at the state Capitol and a message that SB 233 “means every family can choose the school that serves their child best,” including religious schools.
Credit: Tony West
Credit: Tony West
West noted that Parsons told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent article that he hadn’t heard a groundswell of interest in the legislation among his constituents.
“He said he’s not hearing from people,” West said, “and we want to change that.”
Parsons’ reaction? It’s a free country, he said.
“I would imagine a lot of people would be kind of put off by somebody coming during the holidays and knocking on the door about something like that,” he added.
The lawmaker said that after he was quoted in the AJC, he got emails from constituents about his position on the bill.
“Every one I received was positive,” he said.
Americans for Prosperity was established by the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and his brother David, who has since died.
The organization recently backed former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley’s Republican bid for president, reportedly putting millions into her campaign.
The group has also been visiting homes in Bartow County to bolster a Republican there who supported SB 233, and will be sending mailers after New Year’s.
The Cobb door hanger does not mention that taxpayers would foot the bill, though a website it directs people to does mention state funding.
The “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” would give $6,500 a year in taxpayer funding to the families of public school students who leave a low-performing public school. They could use the money to enroll in a private school or for costs associated with home schooling. The money would be diverted from the student’s former public school.
Parsons said he opposed the measure in part because proponents refused to include the same kinds of oversight for participating private schools that is required for public schools, such as state-standardized testing and teacher credential requirements.
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