Gov. Brian Kemp signed a private-school vouchers bill Tuesday, wrapping up a fight Republicans have waged for years. Senate Bill 233 will offer vouchers worth up to $6,500 to parents of children enrolled in the bottom 25% of lowest-performing public schools who wish to send their kids to a private school.
The legislation prohibits spending more than 1% of Georgia’s Quality Basic Education fund on vouchers, a cap that is currently set at $140 million a year. It also limits the vouchers to students in families earning no more than 400% of the federal poverty limit – currently $120,000 a year for a family of four.
A half dozen other education-related bills became law during Tuesday’s ceremony including Senate Bill 351 requires social media companies to take concrete steps to verify the age of their users. It also instructs the Georgia Department of Education to develop and periodically update programs to educate students to use social media safely.
