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A broken Promise? Georgia school voucher program could have vastly inflated eligibility

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A broken Promise? Georgia school voucher program could have vastly inflated eligibility


Public education in Georgia will likely see sweeping changes in 2025, as the Georgia Promise Scholarship, a program that allows families to divert public education funding towards private school tuition and other educational expenses, takes effect. 

However, the pool of eligible students may far exceed what many legislators anticipated when passing the bill, SB 233, during the 2024 legislative session.  

The Georgia Promise Scholarship, authored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), was intended to allow students enrolled in the lowest 25th percentile of Georgia schools (based on the last two school years’ averages of the College and Career Ready Performance Index) to receive up to $6,500 each year to put towards private school tuition, school supplies, tutoring and other educational expenses. However, rules adopted by the Georgia Education Savings Authority on Nov. 18 expanded the eligibility to all those who live in such a school’s attendance zone, even if they do not attend the school. 

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Multiple legislators said they didn’t realize how broadly the law could be interpreted, and plan to reign in the eligibility requirement for the Georgia Promise Scholarship during the upcoming session. 

“That wasn’t my understanding,” House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton) told the Associated Press. 

Voucher programs have been criticized by public school advocates, who say that voucher programs divert funds from struggling schools. Though the funds would not come out of Quality Basic Education (QBE), the formula that determines how much money public schools across Georgia receive from the state each year, QBE is calculated using full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts, meaning that public schools receive less money when their enrollment drops. 

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In Savannah, students enrolled in one of 18 approved schools in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) could soon be eligible to apply for the Georgia Promise Scholarship. The application window is expected to open in January 2025. 

Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.



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Georgia Power proposal could raise bills as company seeks to expand grid

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Georgia Power proposal could raise bills as company seeks to expand grid


Georgia Power wants to add more energy to the grid — but analysts with the state agency that regulates utility rates say that could mean higher monthly bills for customers.

What we know:

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Right now, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is considering Georgia Power’s request to add 10 gigawatts of energy capacity. The company says the expansion is needed to keep up with rising demand, particularly from data centers that could move into the state.

What they’re saying:

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Public advocates warn that all that extra power could come at a cost to customers who are already paying more than they used to.

Giselle Graciano, who moved from Kansas to metro Atlanta earlier this year, said her monthly utility bills have been much higher than expected.

“Average bill, so far, has been around $90 to $110,” Graciano said. “Compared to where I came from, yeah — that’s a lot of money.”

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In recent testimony, public-interest advocacy staff with the PSC said Georgia Power’s proposal could raise monthly bills by about $20.

“Definitely, a bit of a strain in terms of budgeting, especially in current economic conditions,” Graciano said.

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Georgia Power has already raised prices six times since 2022, though the PSC approved a rate freeze through 2028. Consumer advocates worry customer bills could rise again once that freeze ends.

“I think it’s a travesty,” said Kimberly Scott, Executive Director of the advocacy group Georgia WAND. “We could see an increase in our rates come 2028, 2029.”

Public-interest advocates are urging the PSC to approve only about one-third of what Georgia Power requested, arguing it’s unclear if the potential data center contracts will actually materialize.

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“The approach seems to be, if you build it, they will come. But what if they don’t?” said Bob Sherrier, Staff Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The other side:

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In a statement, Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent said the company disagrees with staff testimony calling its demand projections speculative.

“We continue to work with the Georgia PSC to ensure that we have the reliable energy Georgia needs as our state grows while maintaining affordability for all customers,” Kent said. “It is due to these large-load commitments that Georgia Power was able to freeze base rates for the next three years.”

What’s next:

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The Public Service Commission will hold hearings on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 and is expected to vote on Dec. 19, just before newly elected commissioners are sworn in.

The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5’s Christopher King speaking with advocates and past FOX 5 reporting. He also reached out to Georgia Power for a statement. 

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Want Georgia football tickets vs. Georgia Tech? See best prices for remaining available seats

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Want Georgia football tickets vs. Georgia Tech? See best prices for remaining available seats


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No. 4 Georgia football (10-1) travels to No. 19 Georgia Tech (9-2) on Friday, Nov. 28, at 3:30 p.m.

It’s the final regular season game of the year for the Bulldogs.

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For the fans staying in the Classic City to watch the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic at a local dive bar, the game will be broadcast on ABC.

However, for the fans that are planning to travel the roughly two-hour drive (with Thanksgiving and Black Friday traffic on top of normal metro area traffic, definitely expect delays) across SR-316 W to I-85 and Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, here’s how much tickets cost and where to buy them.

Buy Georgia football tickets

Georgia football tickets vs. Georgia Tech

Ticket prices for the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Friday, Nov. 28, at 3:30 p.m. start at $196 on StubHub, $148 on Ticketmaster, and $234 on VividSeats.

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To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub.

Buy Georgia football tickets

Georgia football schedule

Here is the entire 2025 Georgia football schedule.

  • Game 1: Georgia 45, Marshall 7
  • Game 2: Georgia 28, Austin Peay 6
  • Game 3: Georgia 44, Tennessee 41 (OT)
  • Game 4: Alabama 24, Georgia 21
  • Game 5: Georgia 35, Kentucky 14
  • Game 6: Georgia 20, Auburn 10
  • Game 7: Georgia 43, Ole Miss 35
  • Game 8: Georgia 24, Florida 20
  • Game 9: Georgia 41, Mississippi State 21
  • Game 10: Georgia 35, Texas 10
  • Game 11: Georgia 35, Charlotte 3
  • Game 12: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

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Coaches Poll Top 25 sees Georgia football keep its ranking heading into rivalry week

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Coaches Poll Top 25 sees Georgia football keep its ranking heading into rivalry week


ATHENS — To little surprise, Georgia picked up an easy win over Charlotte on Saturday.

The 35-3 win ensured Georgia would remain as the No. 4-ranked team in the Coaches Poll Top 25 heading into Week 14.

Georgia’s opponent heading into the final week of the season did not enjoy a stress-free Saturday, with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets falling 42-28 at home to Pitt.

The loss dropped Georgia Tech from No. 12 to No. 19 in the Coaches Poll rankings. The Yellow Jackets also saw their ACC championship game hopes take a serious hit. A win would’ve clinched a spot in the conference title game.

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Now, Georgia Tech has to try and get off the mat with Georgia rolling into Atlanta.

The game won’t be played at home for Georgia Tech, with the game moving to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It will be a short week for both teams, with the game being played on Black Friday once again.

Last year’s contest was played in Athens and saw the Yellow Jackets jump out to a 17-0 lead. Georgia rallied to win in eight overtimes, 44-42.

Prior to yesterday’s loss, Georgia coach Kirby Smart made it known Georgia expects to get Georgia Tech’s best shot and then some this coming week.

“It’s the same amount of time they have, we have,” Smart said. “So I don’t know that it’s an advantage. The advantage, I guess you’re asking about, is you did it before, so repeating the process. But it’s a little different this time for us in terms of timing and everything because we’ve got to go on the road this time.”

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Georgia will be fully occupied with trying to take down Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs do still have a chance to play back-to-back games in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as Georgia is still alive to play in the SEC championship game.

Georgia’s chances of making it to the game did take a hit on Saturday with Vanderbilt beating Kentucky. The only scenarios in which Georgia can get to Atlanta involve either Texas A&M losing to Texas or Alabama losing to Auburn. Both of those games will be played after Georgia concludes its game against Georgia Tech.

Friday’s game is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET game on ABC.

You can see the full Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings below.

Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 14

  1. Ohio State
  2. Indiana
  3. Texas A&M
  4. Georgia
  5. Oregon
  6. Ole Miss
  7. Texas Tech
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Notre Dame
  10. Alabama
  11. BYU
  12. Vanderbilt
  13. Miami
  14. Utah
  15. Michigan
  16. Texas
  17. Virginia
  18. Tennessee
  19. Georgia Tech
  20. USC
  21. James Madison
  22. North Texas
  23. Tulane
  24. Pitt
  25. SMU



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