Georgia
Top GOP Georgia lawmakers flex muscle in latest school voucher push • Georgia Recorder
An expansion to Georgia’s school voucher program is getting another shot this year after passing the House Education Committee on party lines Wednesday.
The latest form of the bill would allow parents to accept $6,500 to pull their children out of a public school with low performance metrics and enroll them in private school or teach them at home. Expanding vouchers has been a dream of conservatives in Georgia for a while now, who say a free market approach benefits students who are not well served by their local public school district.
That conservative priority came close to becoming reality last year when a voucher plan passed the state Senate, but it failed when a handful of House Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting against it. Opponents say vouchers transfer money from school districts in need of more funding and send it to private enterprises that are not accountable to public scrutiny, and that $6,500 does not cover tuition at reputable private schools, so the vouchers will only act as a discount to families that can already afford it.
“This does not empower parents at all to choose where their children go to school,” said Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators. “It empowers private schools to make those choices. Private schools are not required in any sense to accept a student who has one of these vouchers. The private school still can discriminate on the basis of disability. The private school can still discriminate on any number of characteristics of the student. The parents are not empowered here. The private schools have a choice, and that’s what we need everyone to understand.”
The bill’s chances of becoming law appear higher this year with the support of the House’s highest-ranked member, Speaker Jon Burns, who made an appearance at Wednesday’s committee meeting to boost the bill.
Burns said Wednesday’s meeting was his first time at an Education Committee, and he made it clear he wants the bill to move forward.
“I would like for our House to send a clear signal that we will not let our children continue to be trapped in a failing school, that we’re taking a stand, give the parents of Georgia better options, and we are unlocking doors to the future for the children across this state,” he said.
“I hope when y ‘all’s discussion finishes, this committee will make a decision to move this bill forward,” he added.
Gov. Brian Kemp has also shown strong support for vouchers. Kemp told reporters Tuesday that he has been “patiently awaiting the House’s work” on the bill. The governor pressed lawmakers to pass a school voucher bill earlier this session in his State of the State address, saying then that “I believe we have run out of ‘next years’” to get it done.
“It’s my hope that we’ll get that done this year, and yes, we will be aggressively pushing for that once we know what the House’s posture’s going to be,” Kemp said Tuesday.
Another top Republican, Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, presented the bill to the committee with many changes over last year’s.
The bill would make teacher pay raises approved over the past few years permanent. It would allow public schools to use state capital construction dollars to build or renovate Pre-K facilities.
It creates a new body called the Georgia Education Savings Authority to administer school voucher programs, and, similar to a bill that passed the Senate last month, it creates rules for students to transfer between public school districts.
It still applies to students zoned into the lowest-performing 25% of schools, but Jones said she added a provision giving priority to students whose parents earn less than 400% of the federal poverty line, or $120,000 a year for a family of four in 2024.
Jones also added a cap to the program of 1% of the cost of the Quality Basic Education formula used to determine the state’s school funding share, equaling more than $100 million. Education accounts for about a third of the state’s $30 billion-plus
annual budget.
Speaking to the Recorder after the vote, Jones said she’s quite confident the House will pass the bill.
Why?
“20 years of vote counting,” she said with a laugh.
Republicans on the committee were effusive in their praise of the bill, including Atlanta Rep. Mesha Mainor, who switched parties last year after she faced heavy criticism for backing vouchers.
“I loved the bill last year, I love it now,” she said. “It meets the needs of so many different families.”
Democrats were more circumspect. Powder Springs Rep. David Wilkerson said they had little time to review the 39-page document.
“While the majority party, as the speaker alluded to, may have had 350 days actually to review this bill, we’ve had probably 35 minutes,” he said.
Democrats proposed two amendments, one to require private schools that receive state money to accept all candidates and one to require that all teachers in participating schools be professionally certified. The committee voted against the amendments on a party line basis.
Voucher supporters say the plan would not harm public school budgets. That’s because schools get money both from the state and local taxes. Supporters say the $6,500 would cancel out the state share of funds, but schools would still collect local taxes for students who take advantage of the program.
Opponents say that doesn’t add up because schools would be out $6,500 for each student, but they can’t lower the salary of a teacher whose class size decreases, and fewer students doesn’t translate to less cost to heat or cool a building or transport children to and from the school.
A poll commissioned by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute and University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs Survey Research Center suggests Georgia voters and parents aren’t wild about vouchers.
Pollsters asked registered Georgia voters how the state should support students in underperforming schools, giving them the options to give parents $6,500 to pay for private school tuition, provide schools with more state support or increase choice options like dual enrollment or charter schools.
A plurality of voters, 43.7% said schools should get more state support, 29.4% said more school choice options and 14.8% preferred the $6,500 vouchers.
Voucher support increased somewhat when pollsters asked respondents with school-aged children which policy would be best for their family. Among parents, 22.6% said $6,500 vouchers would be best for them, 39.8% said they want more state support, and 31% favor increased choice options.
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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Northwest Georgia’s 14th congressional district took center stage in American politics late Friday night with the astonishing news that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning.
Citing a disillusionment with the nation’s current political climate after a stunning break with President Donald Trump, Greene said her resignation would take effect Jan. 5, 2026.
READ: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s full statement
Georgia’s 14th congressional district stretches from the Chattanooga, Tennessee, metropolitan area in an east/south arc toward toward metro Atlanta’s outlying suburbs.
The district’s major population centers are Dalton (Whitfield County); Rome (Floyd County); Cartersville (Bartow County area near Paulding County); and portions of Paulding County (Dallas).
The district includes most, if not all, of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield, and part of Pickens counties.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: This Sunday’s On The Record With Atlanta News First will feature an in-depth look at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation and its impact on Georgia and the nation. Watch On The Record With Atlanta News First at 11 a.m.
While mostly white, the district has notable Hispanic populations concentrated around Dalton with its carpet-industry workforce.
Its economy is centering around manufacturing (particularly in Dalton’s carpet/rug industry); agriculture, and small business.
The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district solidly Republican, as does Ballotpedia. Historically GOP, it was represented by Tom Graves before his retirement in 2020.
Greene won the district initially in that election, winning a crowded GOP primary in a runoff before winning outright in November 2020.
She won reelection in 2022 – again, facing several GOP challengers – and 2024, where no Republican opposed her in the primary.
Arguably once President Trump’s staunchest ally in Congress, Greene’s relationship with the now-47th U.S. president has been deteriorating in recent weeks.
Georgia’s nationally watched midterms in the 2026 primary is May 19, 2026. Gov. Brian Kemp may decide to call for a special election before that date, or could simply let the seat remain vacant until the state’s primary rolls around.
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A shot at the College Football Playoff is on the line for both No. 15 Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh ahead of a prime-time matchup Saturday night.
The Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) will clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Dec. 6 if they beat Pitt (7-3, 5-1), while a Panthers’ victory would keep them alive for the same goal heading into their regular-season finale against No. 14 Miami.
“This is a championship game in its own right,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said Tuesday. “That’s the way we’re viewing it, that’s the way we’re approaching it. It’s on everybody to get the job done.”
Regardless of the outcome, the ACC standings remain in flux. No. 19 Virginia, SMU, Miami and Duke are all in the mix for the title game, but Georgia Tech is the only team completely in control of its destiny.
Key said simply put, games this time of year are “different,” and he doesn’t “shy away from that.”
Georgia Tech trailed Boston College (1-10, 0-7) 28-17 late in its game last week, but rallied to escape with a 36-34 victory. Still, the scare against the conference cellar dweller coupled with a Nov. 1 loss at N.C. State has created an uneasy feeling around the Yellow Jackets, particularly with their struggling defense.
Georgia Tech leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense, but resides near the bottom of 136 teams in total defense.
“I got after them pretty good,” Key said of his defense. “But it’s telling them, ‘You’re good. Let’s fix it and go play that way.’”
Pitt is coming off a disappointing game in its own right, albeit one with no bearing on ACC positioning. The Panthers stepped out of conference play and fell flat in a 37-15 defeat against No. 9 Notre Dame, but still would reach the conference title game with wins in their final two games plus one loss by either Virginia or SMU.
“We just take it one game at a time,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We treat everything the same. The word pressure is bad. Our guys know what they’ve got to do. They’ve got to go out and win one football game.”
Pitt is seeking its third trip to the ACC title game under Narduzzi and first since 2021, while Georgia Tech is aiming for its first appearance since 2014.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A competition at the Augusta fairgrounds offered more than trophies or scholarships Thursday afternoon.
The event could kick start careers for student competitors.
Thirteen schools from across the region competed in team and individual challenges that test every skill of a tradesman. Projects included welding, framing, electrical work and plumbing.
Judges evaluated competitors not just for the competition, but also looked at possible future employees.
Scott Clark, CEO of RWI Construction and parent of a competitor, said the event serves multiple purposes.
“It’s a great thing and it’s even better when we can hire them, and so that’s the ultimate goal is to get these kids educated in our industry and get them hired locally,” Clark said. “It gives them an opportunity for great employment great salary and compensation and it’s just a joy to see them when they come on board.”
Kenneth Price, a Lincoln County parent, said he enjoys watching his child’s progress in the trades.
“I’m enjoying watching everything he does and he comes home from school and tells us about his welding and everything and I just enjoy hearing it,” Price said.
Winners of the competition will advance to compete at the state level in Atlanta.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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