$6,500 school vouchers coming to Georgia as controversial bill gets final passage and heads to governor

Georgia senators gave final approval Wednesday to a plan to create a $6,500 voucher funding for private school tuition and home schooling, sending the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.

Senators voted 33-21 along party lines to approve the House’s changes to Senate Bill 233 last week. House approval had long eluded the state’s school choice advocates.

Whereas last year, a defeat of the bill in the House left Democratic opponents jubilant, supporters broke into applause and embraced as the Senate approved the measure, marking the end of a multiyear saga to create a third Georgia program funding nonpublic education options.