State Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-Woodstock) believes all parents should have a choice when it comes to their child’s education — especially low-income students, students adopted from foster care, some special education students, students who have been bullied and students whose local public schools do not offer face-to-face instruction. For those reasons, earlier this week Cantrell introduced HB 60, the Education Scholarship bill.
“We have to realize that the one size fits all approach does not work all the time,” Cantrell told IAG. “Over 90 percent of the children in this state attend public schools, and the majority of them are happy,” said Cantrell. “But a small percentage of the students — maybe 4 or 5 percent — don’t perform well in the traditional classroom. For those children, their parents deserve a choice.”
HB 60 would set up educational accounts for students based on the state allocated funding for each student (currently $5,300 a year). The bill targets students who, Cantrell says, may be struggling the most and unable to afford other options. This bill would also target students whose local school does not offer face-to-face instruction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has really done a number on a lot of families — especially single parent families or families with two working parents who can’t stay home with their children,” said Cantrell. “These families need a choice, and if we can’t help provide them a choice, we are hurting the children who need our help the most.”
Cantrell says opponents of the bill argue that the program will be costly and will take money away from public schools. However, he points out that there is no fiscal note attached to HB 60. “There is no new money attached to this bill,” Cantrell said. “And to be eligible, students must already be enrolled in a public school. The family must also prove that that public school is not meeting the educational needs of the student.
“I would never champion a bill that hurts our public schools,” Cantrell continued. “But some children just don’t do well in traditional classroom settings. We can ignore that fact or we can make adjustments.”
Cantrell has introduced similar legislation in the past — but says the pandemic has brought the issue to the forefront. “Some children are falling behind in education, and much of the time this is happening to children who desperately need education to help them break out of a cycle. We have to find a way to help these children, to give their family options.”
Funds in the account could be used for tuitions, not just for private schools, but for other options such as micro-schools or tutors. It could also be used for access to internet, computers, textbooks or other supplies — but the spending must be approved and vendors must be state-approved. The funds would not be paid directly to families.
The bill has a number of cosponsors, including Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper), who has chair of the House Education Committee for the last two years, Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) and Rep. Jodi Lott (R-Evans).
