Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship into law today, opening the door to a better education for thousands of Georgia students with disabilities. The law, previously passed by the state Senate and General Assembly, creates a scholarship program that will allow children with special needs to attend the public or private school that best meets their educational needs.

"We want to congratulate the Governor and the legislature for putting the needs of children first. Now every child with special needs in Georgia will be able to attend the school their parents believe will help them reach their potential," said Charles Hokanson, president of the Alliance for School Choice.

Senate Bill 10, sponsored by Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) passed the Georgia House of Representatives on April 20 by a vote of 91-84. The legislation previously passed the Senate 31-23. Through the program, parents of children with special needs who are dissatisfied with their child's progress in their assigned public school will be able to transfer their student to the out-of-district public or private school of their choice. The scholarship will amount to the cost to educate the child in the public school district, or the selected new school's tuition and fees, whichever is less.

Participating private schools must demonstrate financial viability and meet state nondiscrimination and safety requirements.

The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship joins similar programs already in existence in Florida, Arizona, Utah and Ohio. Special Needs Scholarship programs have been introduced as bills in 13 states during the 2007 legislative session.

"I applaud Governor Perdue and the Georgia General Assembly for recognizing that parents deserve the right to choose the best education for their children, particularly when those children have special needs," said Lori Drummer, director of state projects at the Alliance for School Choice. "It shouldn't matter where you live or how much money your parents make, every child deserves to go to a great school." 

The Governor's signing comes on the heels of a poll conducted by Strategic Vision, LLC, of Atlanta, which found that 59 percent of Georgians favor such a scholarship program for students with special needs, while only 20 percent were unfavorable. Georgia voters also favor the concept of school choice in general, with 58 percent supporting school vouchers for all students.

The poll of 1,200 likely Georgia voters was funded by The Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation and was released jointly by the Catholic Archdioceses of Atlanta, the Georgia Family Council, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, and the Alliance for School Choice.

Published May 19, 2007