Resources on School Vouchers

Current Status:

In the 2022 Legislative Session, lawmakers may consider House Bill 60 and House Bill 142, two bills that would enact or expand voucher programs to take hundreds of millions of dollars of state money away from public schools and send them to private schools. House Bill 60 and House Bill 142 did not make it out of their chamber by Crossover Day in the 2021 Legislative Session, but are still live for the 2022 Session.

House Bill 60 would create a new voucher. House Bill 142 would grow an existing voucher. Vouchers funnel public dollars to private schools—and these bills come at a time when our public schools are already underfunded.

To stop these bills from becoming law, tell your lawmakers not to vote for HB 60 or HB 142.  You can quickly write to your lawmaker here. For more info and contact information, find your lawmaker here.

Shining a light on efforts to divert state dollars away from public schools through voucher programs such as Education Savings Accounts is part of our 2022 Policy Priorities. GBPI is watching the 2022 Legislative Session to see if any bills arrive that might threaten to divert these dollars and will post any updates on this page.

The Basics on Vouchers:

Bill Analysis for House Bill 999: Bill Analysis: House Bill 999 (LC 49 0739). February 10, 2022

Bill Analysis for House Bill 60 (LC 49 0793S): Hundreds of Millions of Dollars at Stake for a Failed Policy Bill Analysis. February 10, 2022

Blog: School Vouchers: Myth vs. Fact. March 3, 2021

Video and Fact Sheet: What Are School Vouchers? February 12, 2020

Policy Report: Shifting Public Funds to Private Schools: High Costs, Poor Track Record. April 26, 2018

Blog: Push to Expand Private School Tax Scholarships Disregards Lack of Evidence, Accountability. February 8, 2018

Blog: Georgia’s Tax Credit School Scholarship Program Lacks Accountability. August 31, 2017

How to help:

We need help to ensure that these bills do not pass. Make sure your legislator knows you want to keep public funds in public schools by rejecting HB 60 or HB 142. You can find your legislator and their email address here.

You can also help build public awareness and urge others to contact their legislator. Here are a few sample social media messages that you can use as a starting point for your own message, or verbatim.

Potential Social Media Posts

Click to Tweet: At a time when Georgia’s schools are underfunded and unable to meet the needs of their students, esp. students of color, lawmakers are considering diverting resources to private schools. Ask them to oppose these plans today: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-diverting-public-school-dollars-to-private-schools #gapol

Click to Tweet: Keep public dollars for public schools. Ask your lawmakers to reject voucher bills today: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-diverting-public-school-dollars-to-private-schools #gapol

Click to Tweet: HB 60 and HB 142 would divert public dollars to unaccountable private schools. Ask your lawmakers to reject these bills:  https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-diverting-public-school-dollars-to-private-schools #gapol

Past Resources:

Bill Analysis for Senate Bill 386 (LC 49 0125): Potential Voucher Expansion Leaves Students and Parents at a Loss. February 28, 2020

Policy Report: Bills Set Stage to Divert Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From Public to Private Schools. March 28, 2019

Blog: Lawmakers Push to Shift Public Money to Private Schools. March 5, 2018

Policy Report: Private School Savings Accounts Lack Oversight, Could Prove Costly. February 22, 2018

Blog: Private School Scholarship Savings Claims Deserve Skepticism. March 17, 2017

Blog: Misguided March to Expand Tax Credits for Private School Scholarships. March 9, 2017

Bill Analysis for House Bill 140: Private School Scholarships to Divert $30 Million More in Revenue. February 20, 2013

Bill Analysis: Hundreds of Millions of Dollars at Stake for a Failed Policy. January 26, 2021