- On April 23, Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act.
- The new law will create up to $6,500 in grant funds for qualifying parents to send their children to private school and supply grant funding for parents who have decided to homeschool their children.
- Watch the story to hear what parents who have decided to home school their children have to say.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Promoting parents' right to choose how their children receive a valuable education.
Changes to state law will impact families in Georgia.
"We were hesitant to homeschool because it is very demanding and it's a lot. Your kid's education depends on it,” said Tiffany Lawerence.
Tiffany and Lee Lawerence tell me they've been homeschooling their six children for the past 13 years.
Tiffany was homeschooled herself as a child.
She was reluctant to take that step with her own family until she and her husband realized there was a big community of local parents just like them.
"All the moms would get together and talk when she was feeling like "oh I can't do this.." Then some of the other [moms] would come and say "yes you can" and show her how,” according to Lee Lawerence.
On April 23, Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed the Georgia Promise scholarship Act.
The new law will create up to $6,500 in grant funds for qualifying parents to send their children to private school and supply grant funding for parents who have decided to homeschool their children.
Parents like Ashley King told me more resources are needed for parents who have opted to homeschool their children.
"Now we don't have to pay tuition but.. We do have to have somewhere to meet. We have to have materials and supplies and all of that stuff comes out of our own personal budget,” said King.
A few legislators have reportedly criticized the bill claiming that it lessens resources to the poorest public schools in local districts.
Tiffany said she's all for more resources but fears the potential restrictions that could come when accepting grant funding.
"If you're receiving some sort of funding then a lot of time they also want to monitor that.. One of the reasons we got into homeschooling was for the freedom of educating our children based on our own values,” said Tiffany.
I will continue to talk to Decatur county parents who qualify for private school vouchers to learn what their thoughts are and if they plan to transfer their children in the future.
The vouchers and grant funding will not be available until the 2025-2026 school year.
