Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

In The News

Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

Georgia lawmaker Jodi Lott has a quick and easy answer for why she supports school choice.

“Because it already exists,” the Republican state representative told The Lion. “School choice exists every single day for the wealthy. Sadly, most Democrats and some Republicans are fighting to stop the less fortunate from having those same options.”…

The Georgia Center for Opportunity, a nonprofit that promotes school choice, hailed a Senate committee’s approval of SB 601 on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, members of both political parties have a track record of practicing ‘choice for me but not for thee’ — sending their own kids to private schools while denying that same access to lower-income families,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy at GCO, said in a statement to The Lion. “It’s sad but true. The bottom line is that underserved kids are suffering because they don’t have access to the same opportunities available to wealthier kids. Programs like Promise Scholarships would break down those barriers and create better equity in education.”

Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

Georgia Senate committee advances school-choice bill | The Center Square

In The News

Georgia Senate committee advances school-choice bill | The Center Square

The Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee has advanced legislation that would allow Georgians to put taxpayer money toward the cost of private school tuition.

Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Educational Freedom Act, would create state-funded Promise Scholarships of up to $6,000 a year. Families of the roughly 1.7 million K-12 students in Georgia could use the money for private school tuition and other education expenses, such as tutoring and homeschool curriculum

“Promise Scholarships step far beyond a typical voucher by fully putting parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy for The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO), said in a statement after the Senate committee approved the bill Tuesday.

“The funds could be used for private-school tuition, but there is added flexibility depending on each family’s unique needs, extending to paying for things like tutoring, specialized therapies, or homeschool co-ops,” Brockway said. “Passing Promise Scholarships would put Georgia at the forefront nationally of giving all children the opportunity for a great education.”

Opponents of school choice in Georgia Senate exercise it in their own families | The Lion

Could guaranteed basic income replace the welfare system? | Daily Citizen News

In The News

Could guaranteed basic income replace the welfare system? | Daily Citizen News

Georgia is the latest state to experiment with something called a “guaranteed basic income.” It will be interesting to see if these pilot projects can avoid the same pitfalls as the welfare system they’re intended to supplement — and might be better off simply replacing.

The premise of the guaranteed basic income is that there should be a minimum level of income for all Americans. Those who fall short with what they earn from their job would receive a monthly supplement funded by taxpayers…

My friends at the Georgia Center for Opportunity have done as much work on this particular topic as anyone I know. They call the traps built by our system “welfare cliffs,” because of the sudden, sharp drop people experience when they take a small financial step forward.