What will 2023 hold for educational opportunity in Georgia?

by David Bass | Dec 12, 2022

What will 2023 hold for educational opportunity in Georgia?

Key Points

On the House side, the leadership team has nearly universal pro-educational opportunity voting record in recent history.
Seventy-five percent said “students are mostly still behind due to school closures” from the pandemic, while two-thirds of parents said their students have lost learning due to the pandemic.
Georgia must follow in the footsteps of states like Arizona and West Virginia, which recently passed significant new laws that expand educational access for all.

Those who support opening up access to all educational options for every child in Georgia have a lot to celebrate this holiday season. That’s because a new lineup of leadership in the Georgia Legislature increases the likelihood that our state will soon see new and innovative ways for parents to access the right and best educational option for their child.

New leadership, new opportunities

Following the results of the 2022 elections, new leadership will be taking over both chambers of the state legislature. On the House side, the leadership team has nearly universal pro-educational opportunity voting record in recent history: Jan Jones (Speaker Pro Tem), Chuck Efstration (Majority Leader), James Burchett (Majority Whip), Bruce Williamson (Caucus Chair), Houston Gaines (Caucus Vice Chair), and Ginny Ehrhart (Caucus Treasurer) all have 100% pro-educational freedom voting records.

The only member of House leadership without a perfect record on these issues is the new House Speaker, Burns. But even he only has one vote off, the 2018 vote on the Educational Savings Account, the last time a bill of this nature was voted on in the House. Burns was nominated by the Republican caucus to become House Speaker beginning in the 2023 session.

What about on the Senate side? The good news is that only one member of Senate leadership — Jason Anavitarte, Caucus Chair — voted against the 2022 bill that would have created Promise Scholarship Accounts. But Anavitarte voted “yes” on other pieces of educational opportunity legislation, including raising the tax credit scholarship cap and increasing funding for charter schools. Other top members of Senate leadership — including President Pro Tem John Kennedy, Majority Leader Steve Gooch, and Majority Whip Randy Robertson — all have 100% positive voting records when it comes to educational opportunity.

Parents want more options

A recent poll from the Walton Family Foundation found that parents who voted are deeply concerned about the direction of K-12 public education in the United States.

The poll found that 72% of voters believe “improving K-12 education” should be a top priority for state lawmakers headed into 2023. Only the economy and inflation ranked higher at 76%.

Americans are also still deeply concerned about learning losses from pandemic-induced classroom closures. Seventy-five percent said “students are mostly still behind due to school closures” from the pandemic, while two-thirds of parents said their students have lost learning due to the pandemic.

On average, parents said their kids missed 21 days of school in 2021 due to the pandemic.

As for what changes need to be in store for K-12 education, in Oct. 2021 36% of voters said they wanted to see “bold changes” for schools, while that number jumped to 46% by Nov. 2022.

Voters’ top priorities include ensuring that every child is on track in reading, writing, and math; addressing the teacher shortage; offering more career and technical education; and improving security and safety on school grounds.

Georgia must follow in the footsteps of states like Arizona and West Virginia, which recently passed significant new laws that expand educational access for all.

Expanding educational access

Throughout the 2023 session, the Georgia Center for Opportunity will be advocating for a bill similar to the one in 2022, for Promise Scholarship Accounts. Key facets of these accounts would be to enable all Georgia families to attend the school that best fits their student’s needs.

The 2022 version of the bill would have offered families up to $6,000 a year for approved education expenses. Promise Scholarships would step far beyond a typical voucher by fully putting parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education. The funds could have been used for private-school tuition, but there would have been added flexibility depending on each family’s unique needs, extending to paying for things like tutoring, specialized therapies, or homeschool co-ops.

Georgia must follow in the footsteps of states like Arizona and West Virginia, which recently passed significant new laws that expand educational access for all.

Report: Charter school enrollment increases in Georgia

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Dec 1, 2022

Report: Charter school enrollment increases in Georgia

More Georgia students are attending charter schools, while enrollment at public schools is declining, according to a new report.

New figures from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools show that Georgia experienced a roughly 4.9% increase in charter enrollments between 2019-20 and 2021-22. Meanwhile, traditional public schools saw a roughly 1.9% decline in enrollments during the same period.

“Public education is about ensuring students and parents have access to quality education,” Buzz Brockway, executive vice president of public policy for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement.

Read the full article here

Georgia to receive $38M federal grant to expand charter schools

by Kimberly Sawatka | Oct 4, 2022

Georgia to receive $38M federal grant to expand charter schools

(The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a nearly $38.3 million grant to fund the expansion of charter schools throughout Georgia.

The money awarded to the State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia is from the fiscal 2022 Charter Schools Program State Entity grant competition. The grant will fund the expansion of the Georgia Strategic Charter School Growth Initiative.

“Charter schools are one of many innovative ways available today in Georgia for families to customize their student’s education and give them the best learning environment possible,” Buzz Brockway, executive vice president of public policy for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement.

Read the full article here

Report ranks Georgia 14th nationally for educational freedom

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Sep 12, 2022

Report ranks Georgia 14th nationally for educational freedom

Georgia ranked 14th in the nation for its educational freedom, according to a new indexfrom the Heritage Foundation.

The Peach State ranked in the middle of its neighboring states. Georgia performed better than Alabama (No. 16), North Carolina (15) and South Carolina (23) but trailed Florida (1) and Tennessee (10).

“The Heritage Foundation Education Freedom report card shows that some progress has been made in empowering parental choice in Georgia. But there is much more that can be done,” Buzz Brockway, the vice president of public policy for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement.

“Neighboring states like Florida and Tennessee offer their parents more options, and are higher ranked in education achievement,” Brockway added. “We owe it to our children to give their parents more options with programs like an Education Scholarship Account and continuing to increase Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship program.

Read the full article here

Education Promise Scholarships Should be a Winning Issue

by Buzz Brockway | Jul 27, 2022

Education Promise Scholarships Should be a Winning Issue

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed moment for expanding educational options for Georgia students. For many parents and families, the pandemic was the crisis point that showed them, in stark reality, the dire need for a full menu of educational options – whether that be a traditional public school, a public charter school, virtual educational programs or home education.

You don t have to look far to understand why. During the worst of the pandemic and resulting school closures, many familes were forced into alternative ways of schooling for tthe first time ever. Families’ experience with how traditional public schools handled the shift to distance learning were mixed and inconsistent. Some schools and teachers excelled, ensuring students did not lose out on learning. Others threw their hands up –and the towel in — early. Kids have suffered as a result.

Read the full article here

Op-Ed: Georgia Politicians Reject Educational Freedom At Their Own Peril | Real Clear Policy

by Corey Burres | Mar 24, 2022

Op-Ed: Georgia Politicians Reject Educational Freedom At Their Own Peril | Real Clear Policy

Tuesday, March 15, was a sad day for kids in Georgia.

That’s the day when the Georgia Senate voted down a bill to create Promise Scholarships. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in rejecting the scholarships, which would have offered families up to $6,000 a year for approved education expenses. Another six Republicans chose to abstain from voting, knowing that doing so would kill the bill.

Promise Scholarships would step far beyond a typical voucher by fully putting parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education. The funds could have been used for private-school tuition, but there would have been added flexibility depending on each family’s unique needs, extending to paying for things like tutoring, specialized therapies, or homeschool co-ops.

It’s unjust that the best interests of Georgia’s schoolchildren have once again fallen prey to politics and special-interest groups. While some lawmakers were twisting arms to get votes to pass gambling programs to benefit a handful of people, others were voting “no” on Promise Scholarships that would allow tens of thousands of kids to flourish.

Simply put, a vote against S.B. 601 was a vote against the many Georgia families who desperately need help. Particularly as our state emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic where so many students are left behind, it’s unconscionable that we would deny this lifeline to families.

What’s also unconscionable is why politicians would reject educational freedom given that the vast majority of Georgians want it.

A recent poll from GeorgiaCAN found that 72% of respondents favor “expanding educational options by allowing a child’s state education dollars to follow that student to the school that best fits their needs, whether that is public, private, magnet, charter, virtual, or homeschool.” Support cut across party lines, with 79% of Republicans in favor, 78% of Independents, and 64% of Democrats.

Do Georgians favor the idea of Promise Scholarships? That same GeorgiaCAN poll put support for Promise Scholarships at 59%. Public school parents voiced even stronger support, with 67% in favor.

Those results are in line with other recent polling showing that between two-thirds and three-fourths of Georgians support the core ideas of educational opportunity for all students, not just those blessed with a high income or who live in the right zip code. The bottom line is that in our era of sordid political discourse and deep divides between the parties, there are few issues that garner as much bi-partisan support as educational opportunity and equity.

One of the attributes that makes Georgia a great place to live — and a great place to relocate to from other areas of the country — is our diverse and growing set of educational options. It’s the 21st century, and our policymakers recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach no longer works, least of all when it comes to the education of our children.

But while we’ve had important progress over the last few years, we need to keep moving forward. Traditional public schools will remain the right option for most families, but a swiftly growing number of families are choosing alternatives — public charter schools, private schools, or homeschools. As a state, our objective must be to support students and families in the educational environment that works best for them. Our priority must be funding student education, not systems of education that aren’t meeting the needs of every child in our state.

That’s precisely why we need the flexibility provided by Promise Scholarships. Passing Promise Scholarships would have put Georgia at the forefront nationally of giving all children the opportunity for a great education. And politicians running for office this year would be wise to pay attention. For evidence, look no further than Virginia’s recent gubernatorial election, when now Gov. Glenn Youngkin swept into office on a platform of empowering parents.

Remember, the midterm elections are just around the corner: All 56 state Senate and 180 state House seats up for grabs. Meanwhile, parents are clamoring for educational options like never before.

The question is, will Georgia politicians listen? The answer appears to be a resounding no.

Originally Posted In Real Clear Policy