Georgia Senate approves special needs scholarship expansion
(The Center Square) – A bill that would expand the state’s special needs scholarship program was approved Wednesday by the Georgia Senate.
The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program offers scholarships to students with individualized education plans to attend a private school or a public school of their choice. Senate Bill 47 would make the 58,000 public school students with 504 plans eligible to apply for the program.
Individualized education plans provide special education learning environments for children with certain disabilities, while 504 plans require schools to make accommodations for students while they learn alongside their peers. A 504 plan could provide students with extra time for assessments, breakout instruction or modified assignments, among other things.
The Senate passed the bill, 30-21. It now heads to the House for consideration.
“Families across the state have voiced their struggle in finding the appropriate education for their children with special needs,” said Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, one of the bill’s sponsors. “Senate Bill 47 would expand eligibility for students who may qualify under the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship and grant parents more flexibility in determining which school would best fit their child’s needs.”
About 5,000 Georgia public school students with individualized education plans are enrolled in the scholarship program, Gooch said. The program costs the state about $33 million based on current enrollment levels.
SB 47 also would allow preschoolers with either plan to qualify for the program and extends the program to children without a plan who have been diagnosed with a range of conditions.
Corey Burres, a spokesperson for the Georgia Center For Opportunity, said the measure is the first step to help the many special needs students looking for education options.
“This pandemic has shown a greater need for an expansion of customized services for students in underserved communities,” Burres said.
About 249 private schools are enrolled in the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program. The average scholarship is $6,672, Gooch said. The average private school tuition in Georgia is about $10,411 per year, according to privateschoolreview.com.
Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, said voucher programs are “bad” for families, schools and the state.
“Supporters of this bill are using this moment of uncertainty and crisis in our country and in our school systems to promote a long-standing agenda under the guise of assisting students with special needs,” Parent said. “The facts have not changed. Private school vouchers undermine our public schools by diverting needed resources away from the public school system that educates over 90% of Georgia’s children to fund the education of the select few whose families will be able to afford to pay the extra costs of private schooling.”
Christy Riggins, Georgia state field director for the American Federation for Children, said most Georgia students with special needs receive a “great” education at their local public school, but the scholarship program “helps students who might have fallen through the cracks without it.”
Parent also argued the bill lacked transparency and accountability and is ripe for abuse. She said parents easily could obtain a doctor’s note online to manipulate the program and qualify for the scholarship. In response, the Senate approved an amendment changing language in the bill to require the condition diagnosis to come from a physician or psychologist “licensed in the state.”
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square
