MACON, Ga. — Georgia has started a private school voucher program to give families in low-performing school districts more choices for their child's education, starting in the 2025-26 school year.
It's almost time for the applications to open for the first year of scholarships.
The funding program, called the Georgia Promise Scholarship, came to life after Senate Bill 233 passed earlier this year.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation President and CEO Kyle Wingfield said his organization supported the voucher legislation because their research shows school choice programs get students more life opportunities.
“We'd really like to see people taking full control of their children's education, making choices,” he said. “Maybe using a service over here, a service over there, buy a class from a private school, maybe eventually be able to buy a class back from the public schools. We think this can be a really thriving marketplace. We've seen that in other states and again, everybody benefits when that happens.”
Making sure you're eligible for the scholarship is the first step. One of the main requirements is to live in the attendance zone of a bottom 25% school in the state.
"We are zoned for one of the schools,” Taylor Sills said. "Yes, in the list that was handed out tonight."
That list is calculated by The Governor's Office of Student Achievement. It’s also required to be enrolled in the public school for the 2024-2025 school year. The student’s parent must have lived in Georgia for more than a year, unless they are active-duty military.
Wingfield said families won't get the full $6,500 at once. It will be awarded in several sums throughout the year and add up to almost $6,500.
"There's are some administrative fees for running the program that will be taken out of that,” Wingfield said. “But it's a small percentage. It'll be almost all the way of $6,500. It just kind of depends on what the final fee is. If we knew the exact number, we'd go ahead and say that, but we don't quite know what that will be."
The money also will not go directly to families. The Georgia Education Savings Authority is creating an online platform where people can make eligible payments, according to Georgia Promise Scholarship.
Sills has a daughter who is heading to kindergarten next year. He said he plans to apply when the application comes out.
"I still have some questions, but this was a good entry step for me to learn more about this,” he said. “And for me and my wife as we make our decisions for our children going forward."
A question posed by parents was ‘How will next year’s Georgia Promise Scholarship system work?’
Wingfield said students who receive a scholarship during this first cycle will get priority consideration in the future. Additionally, families with income not exceeding 400% of the federal poverty level will receive priority consideration.
Veronica Benitez said her daughter is supposed to attend a Bibb County public elementary school. She wants her to go to a school where she can progress faster.
"If I'm qualified to get my daughter in, then it's wonderful,” she said. “Public school is great. We grew up with public school and it's wonderful, but I do want better opportunities for them and if it's being an offer and I'm available, I definitely will take that opportunity to let her get educated in that way."
Wingfield said the state will fund about 22,000 promise scholarships for the first year. He said families should apply as soon as the application opens early next year.
Wingfield said the Georgia Promise Scholarship can be combined with other scholarships. The only exceptions are with the state tax credit scholarship or the state special needs scholarship.