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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 31 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSenate approves special needs scholarship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After nearly three hours of debate, the state Senate today approved Senate Bill 10, which would allow state-funded vouchers for disabled children to attend schools outside their resident districts.
The vote was 31-23. The bill now goes to the House.
“People out there understand this,” Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) told his colleagues before the vote. “Your constituents will remember this vote.”
Critics of the bill questioned whether it would help the neediest — low-income students who are severely disabled — and siphon money from public school systems.
“This is the gateway to vouchers and the dismantling of our public school system,” Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) said.
But Johnson said the key point is that his bill gives a parent the means to choose a school for a special-needs child.
He estimated the vouchers would average $9,000 and that 9,300 Georgia students might receive them, based on the popularity of a similar program in Florida.
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