Georgia’s school voucher list is out. But a Middle GA lawmaker wants to repeal the program

For over two months, parents were left uncertain about whether their children would qualify for the Georgia Promise Scholarship, which provides up to $6,500 for private school or homeschooling expenses.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement released its long-awaited list of underperforming public schools in the state on Friday, just two weeks before the first application window for the voucher program opens. The list had been released and retracted at least twice previously.

Families can now determine if their children are eligible, but both state and school officials are concerned about the voucher program’s potential impact on public education in the Peach State.

GA rep’s effort to repeal promise scholarship program

Former Milledgeville mayor and Rep. Floyd Griffin (D-Milledgeville) introduced House Bill 436 last week, which seeks to repeal the voucher program.

“First of all, $6,500 is not the total amount our parents pay for a student to go to a private school,” Griffin said, noting that the average private school tuition is around $14,000. “That’s not going to help a lot of Black, brown and low-income people go to those schools. So, what we’re going to see is the rich of the richest being able to take advantage of that $6,500.”

Griffin clarified that while he doesn’t oppose private schools offering education, he takes issue with public money being used for private institutions without public accountability.

“Georgia taxpayers fund public schools to serve all students, not private schools that can choose who they admit. Public money should come with public accountability, and private schools receiving vouchers are not held to the same standards as public schools,” he said.

Griffin also pointed out that rural areas, which often lack private school options, will be disproportionately impacted as public schools lose funding.

“That means families won’t even have a choice, but their public schools will still lose funding,” he said. “Public schools are often the largest employer in small towns. Cutting their budgets with further more teacher layoffs, schools closures and economic decline. Transportation and special education funds will suffer.”

Griffin represents District 149, which includes parts of Baldwin, Bibb and Jones counties. Thirty-five public schools across Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Peach and Twiggs counties were included in the state’s finalized list, with no changes from the initial list previously reported by The Telegraph.

Although Macon is not considered a small town, the Bibb County School District is considering school consolidation options due to budget constraints and declining student enrollment.

Last year, the Promise Scholarship Act narrowly passed in the Georgia House with a vote of 91-82. A minimum of 91 votes was required for passage.

Because it is still early in the legislative process, Griffin said it is too soon to tell whether the bill will gain enough support, though he mentioned receiving statewide approval from parents and public school advocacy groups.

“I wouldn’t have introduced the bill if I didn’t think it would gain major support,” he said. “This is not just about me. The House Democratic Caucus is supporting this bill as well.”

The Georgia Federation of Teachers, a labor union representing public school employees in Georgia, has voiced support for Griffin’s bill. GFT President Verdaillia Turner referred to the voucher program as a “rotten fruit of the school choice and privatization movement,” which remain controversial issues in education reform.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the legislation into law in April 2024, arguing that it strengthens the lives, education and future of Georgia students. The The program can serve an estimated 22,000 students in the state.

But Turner sees the scholarship as “politicians awarding tax breaks to people who can already afford private schools,” she said.

Turner is calling on the public to recognize the voucher program’s potential negative impacts, citing that clever marketable terms were used in the legislation to advance it. She said the term “failing school” is a marketing term, in which children’s education is affected by broader socioeconomic issues, such as medical care, housing and food security.

“We plan to keep up this good fight and this good trouble,” Turner said. “It’s not going to die with this session. We’re going to continue to fight back and educate the public in any way we can that they are being hoodwinked.”