Georgia school voucher bill stays alive after heated Senate debate
A school voucher bill is one of many that survived Monday’s legislative deadline where pieces of legislation have to pass at least one chamber in order to stay alive for Georgia’ 2023 legislative session. After some intense debate on the Senate floor, Senate Bill 233 sailed through in a 33-23 vote.
School closures during the pandemic added fuel to the school choice movement. In Georgia, enrollment in charter schools and homeschooling have grown since the Covid-19 pandemic. Georgia Center for Opportunity, a nonpartisan policy research organization, said SB 233 will expand school choice options.
“Parents across the country are demanding more educational options in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” GCO’s vice president of public policy Buzz Brockway said in a news release. “Now is not the time for more lip-service or half-hearted efforts to help students reverse learning loss.”