Education
Proposed school voucher increase muscled through Georgia House panel, setting up floor vote
A bill to expand Georgia’s school voucher program moved forward in a House subcommittee Monday with a boost from powerful Republicans. It is expected to get a full committee hearing Tuesday ahead of a potential House vote. Cumming Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal’s Senate Bill 233 would provide $6,000 to parents in the state’s lowest performing […]
Bookman: Another year, another school voucher bill to funnel public money to private schools
State Sen. Greg Dolezal argued on the floor of the Georgia Senate this month that his school-voucher bill offers students and parents a way out of low-performing public schools. It does not. Furthermore, it is not intended to do so. Like most voucher proposals, it is an attempt to funnel taxpayer money out of public […]
School spending, enhanced HOPE and vouchers on minds of Georgia lawmakers in session’s final days
Georgia students and families could see big changes to their public schools this year as lawmakers continue work on numerous education bills that pump more money into classrooms, sweeten the HOPE Scholarship and expand school vouchers. But as the chill of winter gives way to the pollen-coated warmth of spring, time is running short to […]
Georgia bill tagged ‘Don’t say Gay’ appears shelved for 2023 legislative session
A watered-down version of a bill opponents called Georgia’s version of “Don’t Say Gay” legislation appears dead in the water after failing in a crucial Senate committee Wednesday. The first version of the bill would have restricted schools, camp counselors and other authority figures from answering children’s questions about gender identity or sexual orientation. The […]
Georgia Senate panel takes latest shot at passing school voucher bill opposed by public educators
A new school voucher bill passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday and could be headed for a full Senate vote. Senate Bill 233, authored by Cumming Republican Greg Dolezal, would allow the parents of nearly all of Georgia’s nearly 1.7 million public school students to pull their children out of class in exchange for […]
Biden student debt relief plan met with skepticism from U.S. Supreme Court conservatives
WASHINGTON — The majority conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Tuesday that the Biden administration had the authority to implement a federal student debt relief program that was estimated to potentially aid millions of borrowers. The conservative justices, who hold a 6-3 majority on the court, questioned whether the Department of Education […]
Black student loan borrowers at risk as U.S. Supreme Court weighs forgiveness plan
WASHINGTON — As the Biden administration prepares to defend its student debt cancellation program before the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28, data shows that Black borrowers have the most to lose should a majority conservative court strike down the policy. Black borrowers hold a disproportionate share of student loan debt, and many likely were […]
Georgia’s Youth Want Equitable School Funding, Not Attacks On Our LGBTQ+ Friends
I grew up in a trailer park. When my mom lost her car, we had to walk over an hour every week to the grocery store. When we couldn’t afford to pay the utility bill, my family and I had to live without electricity in the cold. Numerous students in my district faced the same […]
Georgia GOP lawmaker hits pause on bill dubbed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ by critics to make changes
Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that opponents compare to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which seeks to limit the way teachers and others responsible for caring for minors can answer questions about the child’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill, authored by Republican Sen. Carden Summers of Cordele, got its first debate at […]
U.S. House GOP preps for debates on ‘parents rights,’ school vouchers and transgender athletes
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans laid the groundwork for some top legislative priorities during a Wednesday hearing that examined public funding for charter schools and voucher programs, as well as increasing parents’ oversight of school curriculum. The Republican chair of the Education and the Workforce Committee, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx, provided a forum for […]
Teachers would get $60K minimum salary under bill in Congress making grants to states
WASHINGTON – A panel of policymakers and educators, including author Dave Eggers and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to promote the American Teacher Act. The bill, if passed, would authorize the federal government to create four-year grants for states to enact and enforce minimum school teacher […]
A watchdog says the feds aren’t doing enough to investigate problem colleges
WASHINGTON — Incomplete written guidelines and penalties that had not been updated since 2016. Significant turnover and reductions among staff. Changing agency priorities and department probes put “on hold.” Over the past six years, these problems have stifled the U.S. Department of Education’s investigations team that is supposed to probe colleges that misrepresent themselves to […]