"Georgia needs to widen schooling choices in 2024"

My op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Working with my colleagues at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, we were able to get a school choice op-ed placed in a recent edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Here’s an excerpt:

Seven states have enacted laws that create universal — or near universal — access for all students in 2023: Ohio, Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and Indiana. That’s on top of West Virginia and Arizona, which did so in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Other states have made strides toward universal access as well, including Ohio as a more recent example.

We then urge Georgia to finish what is started in 2023 and pass SB 233 when they reconvene in January of 2024.

SB 233 was a strong bill, passing the Senate with unanimous Republican support and going on to the House. Despite receiving no support from Senate Democrats, it’s excellent news that the bill made it so far through legislative proceedings.

The House vote proved to be tougher, with bipartisan representatives voting against it. Rep. Mesha Mainor of Atlanta was the lone Democrat in the House to vote in favor. On its final day of session, SB 233 was only six votes short of the 91 it needed to pass.

The good news is that the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act is eligible for reconsideration during the 2024 legislative session. Lawmakers can’t let another year pass without giving control back to parents.

Public education is a foundational and vital part of the success of American society, but an increasing number of families are looking toward alternatives — and their choices are just as valid. We must work to deliver quality education to all students, which means finding ways to support families who take a different schooling path. While many will access their education through public schools, not all kids are a perfect fit for that system and they cannot be left behind.

Since we wrote this op-ed, Rep. Mesha Mainor, the lone Democratic vote for SB 233, switched parties and will now caucus with the Republicans.