It’s National School Choice Week when some education advocates across the country will promote expanding school options for families. School choice covers a variety of programs, including charter and magnet schools, traditional public schools, online academies, home schooling, private schools and school vouchers or scholarships.
Different Types Of Vouchers
Typically, voucher or scholarship programs provide families with public money they can put toward private school tuition.
Georgia already has two voucher-comparable programs. One is a scholarship for children with special needs. The other gives dollar-for-dollar tax credits to people who donate to Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs) so students can attend private schools. The two programs are “stackable,” meaning students can take advantage of both programs at the same time.
A third kind of voucher program came up for a Senate vote last year but narrowly failed. Because this is the second year of Georgia’s two-year session, lawmakers could reconsider Senate Bill 173 this year.
The legislation would create Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for students. Under the plan, states put money into accounts for each participating student. The funds can be used for private school tuition or other educational expenses, like tutoring, home schooling and higher education costs.
