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Monday, December 17, 2007
Private School Parents Want Vouchers Too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some private school parents are pushing for an expansion of the eligibility criteria for the state’s months-old voucher program.
Special education students must have attended public school last year for the entire academic year to be eligible for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship. So those who transferred to private schools before the end of the school year couldn’t qualify for the government-backed, private school tuition grants.
Many families who tried public school but then opted for a private education say that’s unfair. Still, it’s doubtful there will be any changes to the program anytime soon.
While reporting my latest article, I spoke with the Legislature’s leading voucher proponents about the possibility of opening eligibility to families who barely missed qualifying this year.
Neither state Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) nor state Rep. David Casas (R-Lilburn) believed there would be enough money in the state budget next year to accommodate those requests.
Private school parents frequently complain about paying school taxes and not having their own children benefit from those dollars. This, I think, is at the heart of the debate on school vouchers.
Some people think their tax dollars should be spent for their own good. Others believe tax dollars are meant to pay for the so-called greater good.
Who’s right?
