Along for the ride!

I have gotten very interested in the history of House Bill 1133 (2008) signed into law by Gov. Purdue. This turns out to be a very nice system for parents with students in private schools to get tax credits equal to their donation to this Student Scholarship Association (SS0). Under attack recently as thinly veiled 'vouchers', SSOs are gaining a bit more attention. A recent New York Times article as well as excellent blog posts from Jay Bookman and Mauren Downey have enlightened me and I want to pass along my research!

Here is the original bill from 2008 - House Bill 1133:
 http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/fulltext/hb1133.htm

Read the NY Times article and really examine the info about Georgia!
 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/education/scholarship-funds-meant-for-needy-benefit-private-schools.html 

This is the page where one of the largest SSOs attempts to answer questions about this practice.
 http://www.goalscholarship.org/about_goal/page/frequently-asked-questions
This is the page where one of the largest SSOs attempts to answer questions about this practice.

And here is a link to an explanation of how to file for these 'scholarships'
http://www.hgstallions.org/Georgia_Private_School_Tax_Credit_FAQs.pdf
At one GA private school here is the deal:

“A very small percentage of that money will be set aside for a needs-based scholarship fund,” Wyatt Bozeman, an administrator at the school (Gwinnett Christian Academy) near Atlanta, said during an informational session. “The rest of the money will be channeled to the family that raised it.”

A handout circulated at the meeting instructed families to donate, qualify for a tax credit and then apply for a scholarship for their own children, many of whom were already attending the school.

“If a student has friends, relatives or even corporations that pay Georgia income tax, all of those people can make a donation to that child’s school,” added an official with a scholarship group working with the school.

Maureen Downey in 2011 broached the topic of accountability of these scholarships and public money!
http://www.goalscholarship.org/about_goal/page/frequently-asked-questions

And in July of 2011 she was continuing to pursue the story:

"Group wants to close loophole in Georgia’s private school scholarship tax credit"

 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/07/21/group-wants-to-close-loophole-in-georgias-private-school-scholarship-tax-credit-law/


There is a pdf report available from the Southern Education Foundation A Failed Experiment Georgia's Tax Credit Scholarships for Private Schools


And just a few days ago, Maureen wrote about these "Neovouchers" http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/05/22/georgias-private-school-scholarships-neovouchers/

THANK YOU Maureen and Jay  for continuing to put the spotlight on these anti-public school measures! Some private schools such as Pace Academy have distanced themselves from this whole practice apparently very popular with many private schools both religious and secular.