The GCO 2022 year in review

by Kimberly Sawatka | Mar 27, 2023

The GCO 2022 year in review

Curious about our projects. progress, and achievements over the past year? The Georgia Center for Opportunity 2022 Annual Report is now available online. This year-in-review consolidates the most crucial information about where we’ve been and where we’re headed, all in one place.

We’re incredibly proud of the strides we’ve made for Georgia families in 2022. The GCO team stepped into 2022 on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, ready to lead the charge toward helping our neighbors thrive in education, work, and at home. In today’s climate, the need to alleviate suffering in our communities has never been more urgent.

Here at GCO, we believe that change at the community level is the most important of all. While state and federal policies can drive positive results, nothing is as personally impactful as change close to home. When our friends, families, and neighbors build better lives for themselves, those stories don’t just impact the individuals involved. They reverberate into the greater community.

Throughout 2022, we remained laser focused on local change. Here’s how we made an impact:

We supported 715 families across the state.
Our team hosted 13 workshops and trainings, with 234 in-person attendees and 266 virtual attendees.
Through the BETTER WORK program, we continued to help Georgia’s most vulnerable individuals find self-supporting, meaningful work.
Our Gwinnett County and Columbus BETTER WORK chapters expanded to 400 new job-seekers, 95 workplace partners, and 42 mentors.
GCO added Missouri and Utah to the BenefitsCliffs.org program, fueling our ongoing goal to encourage employment by overhauling the social safety net—bringing the overall initiative to 12 states (one-third of the nation’s population).
Our team successfully advocated for a bill during the Georgia General Assembly’s 2022 session that expands the state’s tuition tax credit scholarship by $20 million—giving over 4,000 additional students access to the program.
We attracted over 500 individuals to be a part of our relationship enrichment program, offering the classes across seven nonprofit partner agencies and seven schools.
Through assessments administered by the University of Georgia, we showed that our programs improve behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge, which are all top indicators of future relational wellbeing.
GCO’s Promise Scholarship campaign drove 1,050 messages and 7,573 calls to lawmakers across 10 districts.

In addition to our impact, we garnered some notable achievements:

Randy Hicks, GCO president and CEO, was named the 2022 recipient of State Policy Network’s Thomas A. Roe Award.
The GCO team received the State Policy Network’s Bob Williams Award for Outstanding Policy Achievement.
GCO was included in Atlas Network’s “Top 10 to Watch in 2022”

“While state and federal policies can drive positive results, nothing is as personally impactful as change close to home.”

“While state and federal policies can drive positive results, nothing is as personally impactful as change close to home.”

Throughout our report, we share stories of triumph: marriages revitalized, able-bodied workers gainfully employed, benefits cliffs overcome, and educational opportunities that honor students’ individual needs. You’ll get a glimpse of not only our state and local impact, but of some of the individual lives GCO’s work touched over the past year. These are just a few of our successes, and we’re thrilled to drive more transformation in Georgia over the coming year.

We’re proud of the legacy we’re helping to build for families and individuals in Georgia. Through stronger jobs, educational opportunities, and families, we’re bringing hope and positive charge to the most vulnerable people in our state. Most importantly, we wouldn’t be here without your support.

Here’s to an impactful 2023.

Read our 2022 annual report here.

Georgia to join a growing list of forward-thinking states that are prioritizing the unique educational needs

by Kimberly Sawatka | Mar 20, 2023

Georgia to join a growing list of forward-thinking states that are prioritizing the unique educational needs

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones expressed support for Senate Bill 233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, during a recent radio interview.

“I’m all for public schools. My mom was a public school educator for 30 years,” Jones said. “We’re all about wanting to try to empower parents and give kids an opportunity, particularly kids who are in failing school systems, give those parents other options besides just being stuck in the same system that’s not serving their child properly.”

Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “Now is the time for Georgia to join a growing list of forward-thinking states that are prioritizing the unique educational needs of each individual student,” said Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy for GCO. “We’re pleased that Lt. Gov. Jones has joined his voice to the vast majority of Georgians who support educational scholarship accounts like Promise Scholarships. We encourage members of the Georgia House to listen to the voice of their constituents and make these accounts a reality.”

EVERY Kid In Georgia Deserves
A Quality Education

EveryKid.info

EVERY Kid In Georgia Deserves
A Quality Education

EveryKid.info

About Promise Scholarships: Funded by the state in the amount of $6,000 per student for each school year, Promise Scholarships would allow families to find the right fit for their students’ education. Scholarships could be used on any approved education expense, such as private school tuition, tutoring, homeschool curriculum, virtual classes, college classes, therapies (for kids with special needs), technology, and more.

Arkansas creates educational opportunity. It’s time for Georgia to step up

by David Bass | Mar 17, 2023

Arkansas creates educational opportunity. It’s time for Georgia to step up

Key Points

Arkansas is the fourth state in the U.S. to legislate universal educational opportunity — the others are Arizona, Utah, and Iowa.
Georgia Senate passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) in a 33-23 vote. It will go on to the House next, where it has traditionally faced more opposition.
Georgia Senate passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) in a 33-23 vote. It will go on to the House next, where it has traditionally faced more opposition.

Arkansas recently joined a growing list of states that have approved Education Scholarship Accounts, empowering parents to make the best decisions for their child’s unique educational needs.

The accounts, called Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), will contain around $6,600 in funds per student every year. Families can then use the available funds to pay for education-related fees, including tuition, tutoring, textbooks, therapies, and other costs which have been approved by the state.

It will take three years to fully phase in the act. By the end of the third year, all students in Arkansas will be eligible for EFAs.

The creation of these accounts makes Arkansas the fourth state in the U.S. to legislate universal educational opportunity — the others are Arizona, Utah, and Iowa.

Now, Georgia could be next.

Last week, the Georgia Senate passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) in a 33-23 vote. It will go on to the House next, where it has traditionally faced more opposition.

If enacted into law, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act would fund $6,000 per student every school year. Promise Scholarships would give families the financial freedom to select an educational environment that best fits their child’s needs. A wide range of educational expenses would be approved under the act, including tutoring, virtual classes, private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, special needs therapies, technology, college courses, and more.

In the wake of the pandemic, parents nationwide are demanding more options for their children’s education. Learning loss is one of many major crises to arise from nationwide lockdowns. At Georgia Center for Opportunity, we believe it is the state’s responsibility to help reverse that loss.

Families across the state need access to more opportunities now. With Promise Scholarships, Georgia’s children will have more opportunities to excel at school. Every child deserves empowerment through a high-quality education that works best for him or her. We believe that Georgia should lend support to every educational option for its students, including alternatives like homeschooling and virtual learning.

Promise Scholarships would give families the financial freedom to select an educational environment that best fits their child’s needs.

Over the past few years, more and more families have embraced alternatives to public education. While the majority of students across Georgia still attend public schools (and will likely continue to in the future), a growing minority of families are choosing differently. And, as the nation collectively faced an unprecedented pandemic, parents began to realize how many options were available to them outside the traditional school system.

Traditionally, families who select private schools or opt to homeschool receive no financial support to do so. Despite that choice, their tax dollars continue to fund public schools whose services they do not use.

Parents with special needs children struggle to find school systems that will accommodate their children’s needs. Often, they find that one facility lacks all the important resources they need so their children can thrive at school. While they could opt to build a hybrid program for their children, which might include home healthcare or virtual classes, those alternatives are cost-prohibitive.

Ultimately, we believe that tax dollars should follow each child, meeting their unique needs along the way. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to education. Public, private, home, and virtual education are of equal value, and as each family decides what is best for their children, Georgia should be willing to meet them where they are.

As the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act moves to the House, we urge you to contact your local representative to advocate for this bill. Our children can’t wait any longer for educational support that fits their individual needs and allows them to thrive. The future is depending on us.

Let’s transform parenting in Georgia! Recapping the Raising Highly Capable Kids kickoff event

by David Bass | Mar 15, 2023

Let’s transform parenting in Georgia! Recapping the Raising Highly Capable Kids kickoff event

Key Points

Positive relationships impact the opportunities and potential future for every child.
GCO is partnering with RezilientKids to bring the evidence-based program, Raising Highly Capable Kids to the Gwinnett area.
GCO is recruiting partners who are willing to local partners who could hold a class and for adults who might be interested in taking it.

Nothing has more impact on the life of a child than positive relationships.

That basic truth was the cornerstone of a kickoff event March 9 to launch the Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK) program across Georgia.

We’re thrilled to report that 43 people representing more than 20 community organizations attended the event at First United Methodist Church of Lawrenceville. The kickoff helped us build an inaugural network of RHCK trainers and liaisons who will help the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team bring the program to communities.

Attendees at the kickoff event heard from Angela Davis, regional representative for the Southeast region for RezilientKids, the national nonprofit that publishes the RHCK program. She shared how the program will work in Georgia.

Angela Davis of RezilientKids shares the power of Raising Highly Capable Kids with Gwinnett-area leaders.

What is RHCK?

GCO has partnered with RezilientKids to present the program to adults across Georgia. RHCK is a 13-week evidence-based parenting program developed to build stronger families by empowering parents with the confidence, tools, and skills they need to raise healthy, caring, and responsible children.

The program increases parents’ knowledge and skill level of the essential building blocks every child needs — the 40 Development Assets from Search Institute, which are proven to increase childhood resiliency and academic achievement.

The lessons are available to schools, nonprofits, churches, and other organizations focused on helping to build stronger families for Georgia — and ultimately stronger communities. Through a community grant issued by RezilientKidz, GCO is facilitating course offerings for interested parents who want to learn more effective skills and strategies as they raise their children.

What’s next?

We’re still looking for partners across Georgia to bring the RHCK program to parents. We are starting an interest list for local partners who could hold a class and for adults who might be interested in taking it.

If you are interested in referring contacts or getting involved in other ways, contact Joyce Mayberry, JoyceM@foropportunity.org, to start the conversation.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233): Questions and Answers

by Rebecca Primis | Mar 14, 2023

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233): Questions and Answers

Key Points

Georgia Senators have passed a bill (Senate Bill 233) that would create Promise Scholarship Accounts. The bill is headed to the House for a vote.
Funded by the state in the amount of $6,000 per student for each school year, Promise Scholarships would allow parents to find the right education option for their kids.
Eligibility is limited to kids in the bottom-performing quartile of public schools (F-graded schools and some D-graded schools), based on the Georgia Department of Education’s evaluation.

The Georgia Senate has passed Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, which would expand education options in Georgia by creating education savings accounts. Georgia has a widespread problem of underperforming public schools and a growing parent demand for more education choice and flexibility. Promise Scholarships are a much-needed solution for expanding quality education for Georgia kids. Here’s what parents and voters need to know about Promise Scholarships.

What is SB 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act?

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) is a type of education choice program for parents and families. It creates promise scholarships, which are state-administered, state-funded accounts that would give families $6,000 per year and per student to use for approved education expenses. Another common name for this type of program is “education savings accounts.”

How would Georgia Promise Scholarship Accounts work?

Promise Scholarship Accounts would give families $6,000 per year and per student to use for approved education expenses. The state would set aside these funds into an account the parent can direct toward the education option(s) that best supports their child’s unique learning needs.

How is the Promise Scholarship amount determined?

Georgia Promise Scholarship amounts are set at $6,000, which is approximately the average per-pupil amount that the state sends to local school districts, based on Georgia’s current student funding formula.

What could Georgia parents do with a Promise Scholarship Account?

Unlike Georgia’s other school choice programs, Promise Scholarship Accounts give parents the flexibility to buy multiple education products and services to personalize their child’s education. Parents can use accounts to pay one or more qualifying education expenses:

Tuition and fees for private schools, vocational programs, or college
Cost of online programs or classes
Tutoring services
Curriculum and textbooks
Technology, including adaptive or assistive technologies for students with special needs
Educational therapies
Transportation costs

Who can apply for a Promise Scholarship?

To apply and qualify, parents must be Georgia residents, and the student must be enrolled in a Georgia public school that the Georgia Department of Education ranks in the bottom quartile of school performance based on their annual assessment (schools receiving a “D” or “F” grade from the state). Children who are eligible for kindergarten or pre-kindergarten can also apply. Once eligible, a child remains eligible through the 12th grade.

Parents must agree to use the accounts only for qualifying educational expenses, and they cannot enroll their child in a local school system school, charter school, or a state charter school while participating in the program.

Do you qualify?
Use our interactive map to see which schools are in the lowest 25% of Georgia’s public schools.

Why does Georgia need the Promise Scholarship Act?

Georgia has a widespread problem of underperforming or failing public schools. Based on our state’s own evaluation of public school performance, at least 500,000 kids are stuck in schools that receive a D or F grade from the Georgia Department of Education.

Georgia, like many states, is experiencing a parent movement for more education choice and flexibility as frustration with a one-size-fits-all school system has grown since the pandemic. This program would give parents seeking alternatives more opportunity to customize their child’s education when the local public school is not the best fit.

The program would also benefit parents who are satisfied with their local public school. States with robust education choice programs achieve better outcomes for all students, including those in the public school system. Education savings account programs, in particular, have a track record of empowering public schools to improve their budgets, as well as student achievement.

Are Georgia Promise Scholarships the same thing as school vouchers?

No, Promise Scholarships and vouchers are two different types of parental choice programs. This question is a common one because critics of education savings accounts often call them “private school scholarships” or “vouchers by another name.” However, both descriptions are inaccurate and misleading.

School vouchers allow parents to use public education dollars for private school tuition only. Education savings accounts can be used for a wider range of education expenses, and they allow parents more flexibility to pay for multiple education services and products if desired.

Are Georgia Promise Scholarships the same thing as 529 plans?

No. With a 529 plan, the parents are responsible for contributing money to the account in order to save for their child’s education expenses. Promise Scholarships would be state-funded and would not require parents to contribute any of their own money. Parents can choose to use a Promise Scholarship Account for education savings, such as saving for college tuition, but the account doesn’t have the same tax benefits that 529 plans do.

The program is a major step toward expanding access to quality education for every kid in Georgia.

Do other states have education savings accounts?

Yes, ten states have adopted some form of an education savings account program: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. As of March 2023, Arkansas became the eleventh state to adopt ESAs.

In addition to Georgia, these other states are considering education savings account programs in 2023:

Idaho: Idaho’s Senate Education Committee passed a bill that would create an education savings account program for Idaho families. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor for debate and a potential vote.
Oklahoma: Governor Kevin Stitt recently endorsed education savings accounts to give Oklahoma parents at least $5,000 per child for schooling options. Two pieces of related legislation have been filed in the state senate.
South Carolina: The South Carolina Senate passed a proposal to create education savings accounts that would give up to 15,000 students $6,000 for tuition, transportation, textbooks, and internet access. The bill is now headed to the House of Representatives.
Texas: Governor Greg Abbott has made school choice a priority for the 2023 legislative session, and he’s calling for the state to adopt education savings accounts to increase parental choice.

Will SB 233 and Promise Scholarships take money away from Georgia’s public schools?

No. In fact, it’s possible for Georgia to fund both public schools and school choice programs at the same time. Promise Scholarships would give a portion of state per-pupil funding to parents. Remaining education dollars go back to public schools and can even lead to an increase in spending per-pupil public school spending.

That has been the case in Arizona, which has one of the longest-running and most inclusive ESA programs. Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts award a total of $250 million ($7,000 per student), which amounts to 1.7% of the total $14.8 billion going to Arizona public schools in 2022-2023. Furthermore, for every ESA participant, approximately $600 is going back to Arizona’s public schools for teacher pay and other essential expenses.

Plus, while ESAs will be a good solution for certain families, many parents will continue to access education through their local public school. That means states will still need to prioritize sufficient funding for public schools.

Will the Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) help low-income families?

Yes. One benefit of Education Savings Account programs is that they are one of the most equitable education choice methods out there. They give students from low-income families more opportunities to access schooling options that are often only available to families with greater financial resources.

Will the Promise Scholarship Act (SB 233) hurt homeschooling families?

No. There are no provisions in the proposed law that would prevent homeschooling families from continuing this schooling option. Instead, SB 233 could make homeschooling an even more feasible option because families who qualify could use an account to pay for curriculum, courses, tutoring, or other educational resources that would enhance their homeschooling experience.

Related Resources

Georgia students need more schooling choices (Georgia Center for Opportunity)

Now is the time to expand educational freedom in Georgia (Georgia Center for Opportunity)

The Public School Benefits of Education Savings Accounts (Goldwater Institute)

Why homeschool families should support ESAs or at least not oppose them (Goldwater Institute)

Seizing on Parents’ Frustration, GOP Governors Push for Education Savings Accounts (The74)

New survey finds majority of nation’s teachers and parents favor Education Savings Accounts (yes. every kid.)