SEF Partners With Seven Organizations to Oppose GA School Voucher Expansion
Coalition consisting of civil rights and education equity organizations cites de-funding of public schools and loss of civil rights protections for students with disabilities, among other concerns
MARCH 24, 2020 – Last Friday, the Southern Education Foundation, along with seven other civil rights and education equity organizations, sent a letter of opposition to the Georgia House of Representatives regarding Senate Bill 386. The bill, which is a proposed expansion of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) program to include students with 504 plans, would funnel taxpayer dollars from public school districts to private schools in Georgia. SEF’s continued advocacy on this issue comes on the heels of our testimony in front of the Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee, as well as our delivery of a separate letter to leaders in the state’s upper legislative body.
SEF’s letter to House leadership was sent in collaboration and with the full support of the following organizations:
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Georgia Association of Educators
- Georgia Coalition for Public Education
- Public Education Matters Georgia
- Latin American Association
- Intercultural Development Research Association
- Gwinnett Parent Coalition to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline
In discussing SEF’s joint advocacy efforts with our partner organizations, SEF’s Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Fred Jones, said the following:
“We are proud to fight alongside these seven incredible organizations for more equitable public schools for Georgia’s students. Like the organizations who signed on to our letter, SEF believes that public dollars should belong to public schools. We sincerely hope that this bill does not arise for consideration in the House once the legislative session re-opens, and we are prepared to do what we must to prevent its passage.”
Please contact Fred Jones at fjones@southerneducation.org with any questions or comments regarding SEF’s joint advocacy efforts on this issue.