A notice to private schools delaying payment of state special needs scholarships was met with criticism recently from lawmakers who said the move was a bureaucratic attempt to "kill" the voucher program.
The Georgia Department of Education's new payment structure could mean that children with Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia and attention deficit disorder will be shut of the schools of their choice. The state DOE has asked that campuses accepting Georgia Special Needs Scholarships now wait until Nov. 29 for their first tuition installment after services are rendered, as the statute requires. Some parents who have to pay up front for their tuition will be asked to foot a larger chunk of the bill and get reimbursed even later. If they can afford it.
"My daughter already needs additional assistance in the classroom," said Clayton County mom Michelle Outlaw, whose child has both dyslexia and ADD. "I can't afford any additional fees. This is going to hurt the schools providing services for our kids."
The last scholarship payment will be sent to private schools on June 27, when most campuses are on summer break and parents aren't around to endorse checks. Public schools, however, receive state allocations monthly.
“I think there is a concerted effort by many in the bureaucracy to kill SB-10," said Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), who sponsored the legislation creating the program. "Those people at the Department of Education who are doing this to the special needs kids really ought to take a good look in the mirror. Without question, you will see students that will no longer be able to attend their schools because of this action. This is a disgrace.”
State officials, however, say the change was made because it became prudent after evaluating the voucher program.
“We probably should have been making payment in that time frame all along, but the program was new. We were trying to get money to the schools more quickly,” said Matt Cardoza, state DOE spokesman. “Now we have a real process in place.”
The delay will impact the family budget for Carol Cuviello, who borrowed money from her 401(k) to help cover tuition for her rising freshman at the Cottage School. Cuviello was counting on timely reimbursements from the voucher program to help her repay the loan. Cottage School expects families to pay $20,950 by December. Last year, Cuviello got her first voucher check in October.
"I am very grateful for the program. The school would be out of our reach without this help," she said. "But over the last year the amount of the voucher has decreased and now they are changing the time the checks are sent to the school without any notice to parents."
The voucher payment schedule could lead to more private schools withdrawing from the program because they can't afford to cover a voucher students' education. In 2009-10 approximately 169 schools participated in the voucher program, but some did not return due to concerns about slow payment. Some 145 schools participated the previous year.
"It is pretty unreasonable to expect them to educate a child from the beginning of school to the end of November without any sort of compensation," said Jamie Lord, a lobbyist with Center for an Educated Georgia. "I don't even think we would expect that from our public schools."
Total voucher payments to schools last year ranged from $2,580 to $15,100 for 2,068 students. In 2010, the average voucher amount increased slightly to $6,342 from $6,331. The average price of tuition in metro Atlanta, however, is more than twice as much.
Footprints Christian Academy owner Chanda Horne said she had to take out a loan to accommodate SB-10 kids who couldn't pay the $8,000 tuition on time. The school of 75, which doubled in size after accepting voucher kids, has about 30 SB-10 students. Horne hired speech coaches and occupational and physical therapists to handle their needs.
“I have an operation to run,” said Horne. “If my parents’ tuition does not come on time, I have to pull from my personal funding. I’ve spent some thousands to keep things floating.”
At Jacob's Ladder Learning Center in Roswell, which offers one-on-one instruction, director Amy O'Dell also worries about her bottom line, but says she will not turn parents away.
"Our budget depends on the funds being available," she said. "To have that delayed will put a non-profit who works on a tight budget in a difficult situation.”
Meanwhile, Robert Moore, president of the Georgia Association of Schools for Exceptional Children, has appealed to the state to reconsider the June payment date for the last vouchers.
“The issue is parents have to sign that check,” said Moore, headmaster of Mill Springs Academy, which had 74 voucher students last year and asks for all families' tuition by February. “In the summer ... people travel.”
State Rep. David Casas (R- Lilburn) said growing problems for SB-10 parents and schools makes mandating payment deadlines an urgent matter for legislators to revisit. Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed HB 907, the last attempt at regulation sponsored by Casas.
"They said we don’t need legislation to mandate this and they go and do this,” he said. “The money is there when the counts are made. They have absolutely no reason to hold on to it.”
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