Public schools are funded and governed by the public and are meant to educate all students.
Yet, public resources are increasingly being diverted to privately-run programs that have little public oversight and accountability.
Learn more about IDRA’s work to keep the public in public education below.
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While proponents of privately-run programs complain about underperforming public schools and argue that equity and family empowerment can be achieved through “school choice,’ research shows that not all choices are created equal. In fact, the practice of diverting public money for private ventures can increase racial and socioeconomic segregation and, more times than not, does not offer clear academic advantages for underserved students or families. Instead, public school communities are harmed by the loss of much-needed resources. Real family empowerment and student success stems from strong public schools, not private choices for a select few.
Georgia has two programs that allow public funds to flow into private schools. The state operates a voucher program for students with disabilities that allow students to attend private schools. In the most recent legislative session, Georgia legislators passed a bill that expands access to this scholarship for students with plans under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This expansion will significantly expand the amount of money taken out of public schools to support these students as there are a significant number of students that use 504 plans in Georgia (nearly 29,000 in 2015). Furthermore, students who accept these vouchers lose several important constitutional protections by attending private schools.
Georgia also has a tax-credit scholarship program that allows individuals or corporations to donate to private scholarship-funding organizations that fund scholarships for any Georgia student. The state may spend up to $100 million annually as of 2018. A bill was proposed in the 2021 legislative session to increase the cap but did not pass. Unlike many other scholarship programs, eligibility does not take into account whether students attend poor performing schools or have limited economic resources.
Another kind of voucher program, a state-sponsored education savings account, was proposed in 2019 and again in 2020 but failed to receive passage through the Georgia legislature likely due to the cost estimated at up to $543 million over 10 years.
But in 2023-2024, the Georgia Legislature narrowly passed controversial legislation that established a new voucher system. This educational savings account program, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship,” provides $6,500 of public dollars to any family – regardless of family income – whose child attends a public school ranked in the bottom 25% statewide. Families can use these dollars toward the costs of private school or homeschooling. In exchange, families must surrender federal and state discrimination protections for students’ language learning status, physical or intellectual ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. Participating private schools are not required to accept all student applicants or even to disclose which students they are willing to admit. They are not required to adhere to any state guidelines around discipline practices. They are not required to administer the same standardized tests as their public school peers. These discrepancies often translate to poor experiences and outcomes, particularly for historically marginalized students, such as students of color and students with disabilities. Many families are not aware that they have surrendered their rights until they need them.
Georgia ranks 10th on the list of state top spending on school voucher programs at $74.8 million (0.43% of Georgia’s combined program and public K-12 expenditures).
Policy Recommendations for Georgia
To keep the public in public education, Georgia education leaders should repeal current voucher programs and reinvest those funds into public schools to ensure the state serves all Georgia students, particularly students with disabilities. Georgia is diverting public money into privately-run schools through vouchers. These programs have less accountability and oversight than their public counterparts, especially for serving historically marginalized students (Ladd, 2022).
For more information, contact Terrence Wilson, J.D., IDRA Regional Policy and Community Engagement Director (terrence.wilson@idra.org).
