Hundreds rally for more k-12 options

By April Hunt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A throng of 500 students, parents and advocates gathered on the state Capitol steps Tuesday morning, hoping their show of force would persuade the legislators inside to make it easier for kids to attend private or charter schools or be home schooled.

Enlarge photo

John Spink jspink@ajc.com Fourth grade student, Keely Douglass-9 from Fulton Sunshine Academy was happy to show her love for her school Tuesday at the state Capitol.

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Goals include adding $10 million to the now-$50 million state cap on the tax credit scholarship and expanding the existing Georgia Special Needs Scholarship to military and foster children. Parents can use the scholarships to pay private tuition for children.

“We want the money to follow the children, wherever they go,” said David Pusey, director of the Center for an Educated Georgia, which helped organize the rally.

Parents insisted that was the best way to make sure their children -- some with slower learning abilities, others who were more advanced -- stayed engaged.

Aletha R. Cherry said she had first tried private and public schools for her son, Caleb, before settling on Atlanta Preparatory School this year.

The school has helped the third-grader work on a middle-school level, she said, but keeps him with his peers.

“When I did my undergraduate studies, I noticed different colleges tailored to different needs and programs,” said Cherry, who also teaches at Atlanta Prep. “I think our children need the same choices.”

Georgia enrolls 2,500 students in its special needs scholarship and another 3,000 in the tax credit program.

But that is a small figure, given an estimated 220,000 children are enrolled in charter and private schools or are home schooled, according to the Center for an Educated Georgia.

Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, plans to introduce a bill that would increase the number of students enrolled in state scholarship programs by expanding the special needs scholarship to include foster children and children of military personnel.

Tuesday morning, he told the crowd waiting in the chilly rain that the move was a demand, not a request, for more choice.

“Every single child can learn, given the right environment,” Rogers said. “And do you know who should make that decision on the environment? The parents.”