$6,500 school vouchers coming to Georgia as bill gets final passage and heads to governor

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators gave final approval Wednesday to a plan to create a $6,500 voucher funding for private school tuition and home schooling, sending the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.

Senators voted 33-21 along party lines to approve changes that the House made last week to Senate Bill 233. House approval had long eluded the state’s school choice advocates.

Whereas last year a defeat of the bill in the House left Democratic opponents jubilant, supporters broke into applause and embraced as the Senate approved the measure, marking the end of a multiyear saga to create a third Georgia program funding nonpublic education options.

“When I cheer today, I’m going to be cheering because more parents and more families will have more opportunities,” said state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming who sponsored the bill.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp backs the voucher plan, including devoting a substantial portion of his State of the State speech to advocating for it.

“I firmly believe we can take an all-of-the-above approach to education options,” Kemp said in a statement Wednesday.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Proposed limit on Georgia film tax credit could become meaningless if studios are protected </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Some Georgia workers would find it harder to become union members under a new bill </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Georgia lawmakers approve