Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

by | Mar 1, 2023

In The News

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

The Senate Education Committee voted to advance legislation creating state-funded education savings accounts.

The committee voted 6-5 Tuesday afternoon in favor of Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.

“Too many times, education access in Georgia is limited to families of means, but every child deserves access to a quality education,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement. “Promise Scholarships would help create this opportunity.”

“Public education is the right choice for most families, but for a growing minority of students, an alternative is what’s best,” Brockway added. “We can, and should, support all options.”

Read the full article here

 

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

by | Mar 1, 2023

In The News

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

The Senate Education Committee voted to advance legislation creating state-funded education savings accounts.

The committee voted 6-5 Tuesday afternoon in favor of Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.

“Too many times, education access in Georgia is limited to families of means, but every child deserves access to a quality education,” Buzz Brockway, vice president of public policy for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement. “Promise Scholarships would help create this opportunity.”

Read the full article here

 

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill

by | Feb 28, 2023

In The News

Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill

Georgia Senate Republicans are again pushing a plan to give $6,000 educational vouchers to many students, part of a nationwide push for what supporters call education savings accounts following the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement is fueled in part by fights over race-related education and how to address gender issues in schools.

The Senate Education and Youth Committee voted 6-5 on Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 233, sending it to the full Senate for more debate. The bill must pass the Senate by Monday for the state House to take it up, or it will likely die for 2023.

Buzz Brockway, a former Republican state House member and chairman of the State Charter Schools Commission, told lawmakers that about 500,000 Georgia students attend schools graded “D” or “F” by the state.

“Those are the kids that need our help, and they need this bill,” said Brockway, who works for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, a poverty-fighting group.

Read the full article here

 

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

Gold Dome Report – Legislative Day 25 (2023)

by | Feb 28, 2023

In The News

Gold Dome Report – Legislative Day 25 (2023)

Members of the public flooded the State Capitol again on Tuesday. The day’s most visible group was Mothers Demand Action, members of which crowded the halls in a sea of red as they advocated lawmakers for gun control measures. But they weren’t the only ones demanding action under the Gold Dome. With two legislative days remaining until Crossover Day, legislators and lobbyists spent all afternoon in committee meetings begging, pleading, and sometimes demanding their legislation be advanced. We share which entreaties worked in this #GoldDomeReport. 

  • SB 233, authored by Dolezal, is the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.” The bill amends Title 20 to provide for the establishment of promise scholarship accounts to be funded by the state in the amount of $6,000.00 per school year for each participating student.

Dolezal presented the bill alongside Jamie Lord, who represents the Georgia Center for Opportunity and is promoting the legislation. The Committee was presented with a Substitute that provides that funding for scholarships is frozen in years when QBE is not fully funded, remaining funds after high school graduation are refunded to the State, and funds may be used for instructional technology. Questions from Committee members included inquiries as to eligibility of current private school students, student assessment and comparability, and the amount of funding to be provided.

Read the full article here

 

Georgia Senate committee advances education savings accounts bill

Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill

by | Feb 28, 2023

In The News

Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill

Georgia Senate Republicans are again pushing a plan to give $6,000 educational vouchers to many students, part of a nationwide push for what supporters call education savings accounts following the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement is fueled in part by fights over race-related education and how to address gender issues in schools.

The Senate Education and Youth Committee voted 6-5 on Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 233, sending it to the full Senate for more debate. The bill must pass the Senate by Monday for the state House to take it up, or it will likely die for 2023.

Buzz Brockway, a former Republican state House member and chairman of the State Charter Schools Commission, told lawmakers that about 500,000 Georgia students attend schools graded “D” or “F” by the state.

“Those are the kids that need our help, and they need this bill,” said Brockway, who works for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, a poverty-fighting group.

Read the full article here