Our partners at CAPE recently reports that two states, Georgia and Iowa, enacted legislation that expands educational opportunity and advances the national march toward educational freedom. As a consequence, more students will get the chance to attend schools that meet their needs.
Georgia
In Georgia last month, Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 217, which increases the statewide cap on tax credit scholarships from $58 million to $100 million, significantly expanding the pool of students who will be able to benefit from the state’s school choice program.
Jamie Lord, who advises the American Federation for Children on government affairs in Georgia, had this to say about the new law:
“More Georgia families will finally be able to access the school of their choice thanks to these laws. More than 13,000 students are currently receiving privately funded scholarships thanks to the successful Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship program, and we expect thousands more to now have the benefit of receiving the education of their choice…. We stand with Georgia families and thank Governor Deal and the bill sponsors for their leadership in pushing for more educational freedom across the state.”
Iowa
Meanwhile in Iowa, lawmakers last month approved a state budget that, according to the AFC, “increases the scholarship tax credit program cap from $12 million to $13 million per year” and also “increases program eligibility to include families making no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty guideline.”
AFC President John Schilling, responding to the Iowa budget, said, “Today, more than 10,000 students are receiving scholarships thanks to the successful Iowa scholarship tax credit program. Now even more Iowa students will have the benefit of receiving the education of their parents’ choice.”
Excerpt from http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook436.pdf