Today, the State House sent a controversial school voucher bill back to committee with out voting on it. Senator Eric Johnson (R.), sponsor of the legislation told GPB reporters that he has fragile bipartisan support for the bill. He said he is trying to grow that support.
The bill, if passed, would have allowed students who attend school systems that loose accreditation to choose another school, public or private, using state funds.
The bill grew controversial after a recent threat of the loss of accreditation to Clayton County Schools, leaving students with little or no options for graduation if it does occur. Clayton County's neighbors worry that if the voucher bill passes, schools in their district could become over crowded.
Showing posts with label vouchers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vouchers. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Legislative Session.... Day 38
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Thousands apply for special needs vouchers
The demand for the Special Needs Scholarship is growing.
More than 5,000 families have applied for tuition grants to transfer their disabled children to private schools, but it remains to be seen how many will actually get them.
"Quite frankly, it's doubtful there will be slots for every parent who expresses interest," said Georgia Department of Education spokersperson Dana Tofig. "There's about 115 schools that are going to accept applications, so doing the math that would certainly be big commitment by those schools."
Private schools determine how many slots they will offer each year. A list of current participating schools and more information about the program can be found here.
Tofig anticipates the program will grow in coming years. He advises parents to be sure the private schools they apply to can handle the specific special need of their child.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Voucher program for special-needs students active today
Beginning today, parents of disabled children can go online for a list of the private schools participating in Georgia's new tuition voucher program for special- needs students.
More than a hundred private schools are on the list approved Thursday by the Board of Education. But educators say that just because a school is on the list, doesn't mean it has the specialized teachers, curriculum or facilites necessary to give disabled students the best education.
They urge parents to be careful choosing a school because as Board of Education spokesperson Dana Tofig said, "When parents sign onto the program, they are signing away the rights under the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) which provides protection for students with disabilities who are educated in the public schools."
According to state figures, 186 thousand disabled students from kindergarten through grade 12 attended GA public schools last year.
The average private school voucher is expected be around nine thousand dollars.
More than a hundred private schools are on the list approved Thursday by the Board of Education. But educators say that just because a school is on the list, doesn't mean it has the specialized teachers, curriculum or facilites necessary to give disabled students the best education.
They urge parents to be careful choosing a school because as Board of Education spokesperson Dana Tofig said, "When parents sign onto the program, they are signing away the rights under the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) which provides protection for students with disabilities who are educated in the public schools."
According to state figures, 186 thousand disabled students from kindergarten through grade 12 attended GA public schools last year.
The average private school voucher is expected be around nine thousand dollars.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Perdue approves voucher program for disabled students; gets ready for GOP convention
Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed into law a program that allows disabled children to attend the school of their choice on the state's dime.
In this new program, parents can use voucher money to take their children with special needs out of their neighborhood school and put them in another public school, or a private one.
"We've seen over and over that when parents take charge of their family's education, I believe families win," Perdue said. "The competition that results from parental choice will raise all boats, benefiting all the special needs children of Georgia."
Each voucher will be worth the same amount the state pays to teach a special-needs child in public school—roughly $9000 per year now. Children must spend a year in public school to qualify for the program.
At the same meeting, Perdue told reporters that he will speak Saturday to Republicans at the GOP convention about his principles of governing.
"I think I will describe to them what my convictions are about being a true conservative and how I think true conservatives act," he said.
Perdue says he will not discuss his argument with state House Republicans over the 2007 midyear budget.
He struck a property tax cut from the budget before signing it.
He says he will use his line-item veto power again on the 2008 budget later this month.
Some conservative bloggers are urging convention-goers to walk out during Perdue's speech tomorrow in protest of the veto.
In this new program, parents can use voucher money to take their children with special needs out of their neighborhood school and put them in another public school, or a private one.
"We've seen over and over that when parents take charge of their family's education, I believe families win," Perdue said. "The competition that results from parental choice will raise all boats, benefiting all the special needs children of Georgia."
Each voucher will be worth the same amount the state pays to teach a special-needs child in public school—roughly $9000 per year now. Children must spend a year in public school to qualify for the program.
At the same meeting, Perdue told reporters that he will speak Saturday to Republicans at the GOP convention about his principles of governing.
"I think I will describe to them what my convictions are about being a true conservative and how I think true conservatives act," he said.
Perdue says he will not discuss his argument with state House Republicans over the 2007 midyear budget.
He struck a property tax cut from the budget before signing it.
He says he will use his line-item veto power again on the 2008 budget later this month.
Some conservative bloggers are urging convention-goers to walk out during Perdue's speech tomorrow in protest of the veto.
Monday, April 9, 2007
New poll shows support for school vouchers
A small coalition that assembled at the State Capitol cited a new poll conducted by the conservative firm Strategic Vision. The poll found 60 percent of respondents like school choice and vouchers for all children.
“We do feel that academic justice is important for not just disabled students, but also minorities and low-income students,” said Jamie Self of the Georgia Family Council.
Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is sponsoring a bill that would create state vouchers only for special-needs students. There’s not enough support for a broader voucher measure “because there are a lot of parts of this state, rural areas, that don’t have a private-school network,” Johnson says. “Then, there are good public school systems like Gwinnett or Cobb, where they see vouchers as threatening what they have.”
Johnson’s bill, SB 10, already passed the Senate but time is running out in the House. The House Education Committee is expected to vote on the bill this week.
“We do feel that academic justice is important for not just disabled students, but also minorities and low-income students,” said Jamie Self of the Georgia Family Council.
Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is sponsoring a bill that would create state vouchers only for special-needs students. There’s not enough support for a broader voucher measure “because there are a lot of parts of this state, rural areas, that don’t have a private-school network,” Johnson says. “Then, there are good public school systems like Gwinnett or Cobb, where they see vouchers as threatening what they have.”
Johnson’s bill, SB 10, already passed the Senate but time is running out in the House. The House Education Committee is expected to vote on the bill this week.
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