The bill earmarks $6,000 to families with children who attended public school for a short time. | Unsplash
The bill earmarks $6,000 to families with children who attended public school for a short time. | Unsplash
The amended version of a Georgia House of Representatives measure to expand school vouchers garnered the approval of the House Education Committee recently.
A sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Wes Cantrell, told Fox 5 Atlanta that the measures are necessary because Georgia's current programs solely cover private schools.
"At the end of the day, I trust the parents to make the best decision for their child," Cantrell said.
The committee advanced House Bill 60 for the second time, giving legislators in the lower chamber of the state legislature the opportunity to debate the bill further, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. HB 60, if approved, earmarks $6,000 to families as long as they have a child who attended public school for a short time.
A more extensive version of the bill, House Bill 999, was advanced by a subcommittee and is currently awaiting a full committee vote, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Committee-level approval of HB 60 is well received by school voucher expansion proponents, while Democrats and school groups fear it and HB 999 would siphon money away from public schools, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
HB 60 would be limited to approximately 4,000 students at first before increasing to upward of 40,000 students over the next decade, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The program would commence with approximately $23 million in state funds, growing throughout the decade to approximately $230 million.
Those who would qualify for vouchers include children of an active-duty military member, children with special educational needs, adopted children from foster care and children in a public school that did not offer in-person instruction for an entire semester.
HB 60 never made it to a floor vote last year, with uncertainty surrounding its passage looming large, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Holly Terei, a Gwinnett County parent who backs the vouchers, said a similar program made it possible for her family to send her to private school in Ohio, and she feels Gwinnett County schools have let her children down throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Our family is not in a position to move to a different county," Terei told Fox 5 Atlanta. "My family cannot afford private tuition. My family cannot afford to become a single income household so one parent can adequately homeschool. And so we are stuck."
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