The significant presence of children from private Christian schools at the signing of Kemp’s education bills Thursday, was notable for two reasons, according to progressive activists who showed up to sign the wave: firstly, because these religious institutions showed up to support laws from which they are exempt, yet which will harm other children, and secondly, because of their signal to Kemp’s base that he supports vouchers. 

Though not as immediately obvious as other bills in Governor Kemp’s education package- which includes deterring classroom discussion on racism and indirectly banning trans girls from participating on sports teams, HB 517, a tax-refund scholarship bill, is likewise discriminatory.  

Divestment from public education into private institutions, through tax-refund scholarships and other methods, has begun to trend upwards in recent years, at the same time students of color and low-income students began to comprise the public school system’s national majority.  

According to research by the Southern Education Foundation, a non-profit organization advocating for equity in education since 1867, this trend is rooted in the historic attempt of local legislatures, particularly in Southern U.S. states, to block the federal desegregation of public schools, through the reallocation of public funds to all-white private schools. 

One of our Peach Pit storytellers reached out to Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Southern Education Foundation, Fred Jones, for his expert knowledge on the effects of HB 517’s passage on students, the public education system, and available avenues for Georgians to advocate for a more equitable future.

PP Storyteller: Though HB 517 has ties to segregation, it passed with comparatively less public debate than other controversial bills in Kemp’s education package. Why do you think it did not likewise make its way into popular discourse, and how do tax-credit scholarships continue to function as a tool of racism in the Southeastern U.S.?

Fred Jones: HB 517, the Georgia Tax-Credit Scholarship legislation, was initially introduced in the House in March of 2021. An early version of the legislation proposed to double the amount individuals could contribute (from $100 million to $200 million) to student scholarship organizations with the benefit of a tax deduction. In the final days of the 2022 legislative session, the legislature agreed to increase the cap by $20 million instead of $100 million, bringing the tax-credit total to $120 million a year. The procedural strategy for the Georgia Senate to take up HB 517 late in the session limited the amount of time advocates had to express opposition and inform lawmakers of just how inequitable, ineffective, and non-transparent tax-credit scholarships are within Georgia’s education system. 

While tax-credit scholarships do not provide a direct one-to-one funding benefit, lawmakers have reduced education funding for Georgia Public schools by nearly $10 billion over the life of the program. There is a long history of private schools discriminating against students based on race and other factors, making it harder for some students to access the scholarships. More importantly, however, the program also siphons funding away from students who remain in the public education system and who happen to be primarily non-white students. 

PP Storyteller: In what ways do tax-credit scholarships fail to make education accessible, even for eligible students?  

Fred Jones: All public K-12 students are eligible to receive a tax-credit scholarship through the Georgia Education Expense Tax Credit. However, Georgia’s Student Scholarship Organizations only award 16,000 scholarships per year to the possible 1,686,000 million eligible students in the state. This means less than one percent of students are even capable of receiving a tax-credit scholarship. To make matters worse, Georgia is one of six states across the country that does not consider family income when determining which students are eligible for tax-credit scholarships. An analysis shows that in 2018 over one-quarter of the scholarship recipients came from families who earned more than $69k a year, well above the $33k family median wage.  

Typically, the families of students who receive tax-credit scholarships are responsible for resolving any remaining tuition balance if the tax-credit scholarship does not pay all the tuition costs. The average scholarship amount is only $4,500 per year and is capped at $11,900. Families are still responsible for transportation and other specific school requirements, making this program truly accessible for individuals who have the privilege to pay any remaining tuition balance and can commit to transporting their child each day. Accessing the scholarship dollars is not a viable option for all students, even if they want to take advantage of it. The additional financial and transportation requirements disproportionately burden students from low-income families and remain an inherent operational and equity problem.  

PP Storyteller: In what ways will the passage of HB 517 impact the majority of students and teachers in Georgia?

Fred Jones: Georgia has not fully funded its core education school funding formula for over two decades. HB 517 exacerbates current inequities in our system by not increasing school funding, especially after recent research shows how essential services like high-impact tutoring, mental health supports, and afterschool programs improve academic and social outcomes for students, especially those from low-income families. Unfortunately, HB 517 fails to invest in evidence-based strategies that we already know enhance academic content knowledge. In the end, our students and educators will have fewer resources available to invest in efforts to help learners flourish. 

PP Storyteller: What are the implications, for Georgia’s public school system, of the Georgia State legislature moving public funds to private institutions, through bills such as HB 517, while at the same time reducing the budget of the QBE formula by hundreds of millions of dollars? 

Fred Jones: In the 20-plus-year history of tax-credit scholarship existence, very little scientific research has surfaced showing tax-credit scholarship recipients experience significant academic improvement by enrolling in a private school instead of their neighborhood public school. It makes no sense for taxpayer dollars to be used for an education program that does not improve academic outcomes. There is also a troubling history of private school education choice in the South. As desegregation became federally codified in 1954 following Brown v. Board of Education, white students’ exponential rise in private school enrollment in the region signified a strong desire to maintain a segregated school system. Public schemes, such as school vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax-credit scholarships contributed to segregation and maintained unequal access. It harms students to continue this practice and I would encourage the legislature to reinvest this money into high-quality service programs that support public education.  

PP Storyteller: How have student needs evolved during the pandemic, and what policies support those needs?

Fred Jones: It’s abundantly clear that the pandemic has negatively affected standard academic growth, directly expanding pre-existing opportunity gaps. We also have come to discover that more than 200,000 children experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver due to Covid-19, with students of color bearing a disproportionate share of this burden. We know that mental health services and other wraparound supports will be essential for students to be prepared to receive academic instruction. That’s why SEF is a huge supporter of community schools and wraparound services to help support students who are most in need. 

PP Storyteller: How can Georgians become involved in effectively advocating for such policies?  

Fred Jones: Georgians should find out about their local school boards and what those school boards are doing. They can attend meetings and ask about the policies and practices in their school district that support students and student learning. In addition, parents and other caregivers can join their local PTA and the Georgia PTA to learn more about policies and practices that support high-quality education and how to get involved in advocating for them. Another good organization to join is Voices for Georgia’s Children, which provides on its website information about Georgia and national legislation affecting children and their education and tools for reaching out to lawmakers.