Politics

Bill Would Allow Parents To Use State Money For Private School Tuition

February 10th, 2015

A Republican state lawmaker wants to make it easier for thousands of parents to send their kids to private school.

Under House Bill 243, a parent of a public school student could apply to the state for a so-called education savings account. If approved, parents could draw down state funds that had been set aside for their child ─ somewhere between $3,500 and $4,000 per year ─ and use it for private school tuition, home school courses or AP classes. Any amount not used during the school year could be carried over the next year.

Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, is the bill sponsor and says it’s about giving parents more flexibility.

“It’s not a slam on the public education system, but we just have a lot of great families that want to take a more active role in their child’s education,” Hamilton said.

The program would be first-come, first-served and capped during the first year at a half percent of Georgia’s total student population, or about 8,000 kids. The cap would rise to 1 percent of students in the second year and remain at that level.

The bill has already attracted critics, who say it’s an effort to start a voucher program that could undermine public schools.

“There are a number of unintended consequences when you talk about vouchers,” Justin Pauly of the Georgia School Board Association said. “They can squeeze money away from the public school system and put them in a difficult financial position in terms of facilities and running the district. It’s also got the potential to leave out students who may not be able to access these other schools.”

Hamilton counters the bill only sets aside the state portion of funds. He says school districts would still receive the same amount of local property tax dollars and federal funds, even though the student is no longer there.

“From a financial standpoint, at worst, it has no impact on the local school system. In fact, some would say that it’s a windfall for them,” Hamilton said.

The House Education Committee is considering the bill.