SEF Co-Signs Letter Opposing Georgia Promise Scholarship Act Bill (HB 60)
February 11, 2022
The Southern Education Foundation is one of nine Georgia-based, equity-focused organizations that signed onto a letter urging the members of the Georgia House of Representatives to vote against the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (HB 60), which would divert taxpayer funds from the state’s most underserved public schools and into private schools, with limited evidence that attending private schools improves academic achievement.
The letter points out that HB 60:
- diverts resources away from already under-resourced public-school systems, further limiting educational opportunities for Georgia’s most vulnerable student populations;
- funds an educational model with no proven track record of academic success or improved outcomes for participating students;
- strips students with disabilities of their federally guaranteed protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA);
- funnels taxpayer dollars to unaccountable and unregulated private schools and other private education providers; and
- would duplicate existing efforts to privatize public education in Georgia. Students with disabilities in Georgia are already able to access the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) program and the QEETC program.
Read the letter below.
Opposition to House Bill 60 LTR FINAL