Education in the Black Belt: Are Private School Vouchers the Answer?

Hi everyone! My name is Claire Scafidi, and I am a member of the Education Policy Team. I’m a second-year international affairs major with a Spanish minor from Kennesaw, Georgia. 

Growing up in the Baldwin County School System with my two older sisters, the legacy of racism lived on through unofficially segregated second-grade classrooms. I became no stranger to switching schools, and I witnessed how racism and legal forms of segregation deteriorated the educational system and deprived students of education opportunities. The public education system in Baldwin quickly failed my sisters, separating their elementary classrooms by race and providing inadequate support. We were fortunate that my parents could turn to private school. 

With the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act (Senate Bill 233) passed in May of 2024, low-income families in situations like mine can move their children to well-resourced schools. SB 233 offers a $6,500 voucher for eligible students to use for private school, specifically if their school is ranked in the bottom 25% based on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), formed mainly from the school’s Georgia Milestone Assessment System scores. 

While this bill appears to allow families to provide their children with greater educational opportunities, in reality, the bill only exacerbates the issue of access to quality education in Georgia. Instead of investing money in improving schools ranked in the bottom 25%, SB 233 encourages a small percentage of students to leave. When students leave schools, especially those with smaller populations, the school’s funding declines, as the state apportions money based on student population. Furthermore, school vouchers divert tax-payer funds from public schools and the students who need it, typically benefiting wealthy families. In the 2023-2024 school year, Georgia’s two existing school voucher programs cost 155 million dollars, which could have been invested in Georgia’s lowest-performing schools. Additionally, in 2017 and again in 2023, the Brookings Institute found that students who use private school vouchers tend to perform worse in mathematics on state assessments. While the exact reason is unknown, the Brookings Institute hypothesized it could be explained by the difference in time of instruction in reading in math between private and public schools, and private schools tend to devote an hour less a week to both subjects. 

Additionally, SB 233 has minimal income restrictions—so families who can afford private school and are already paying for it—can apply and use the voucher. Typically, private schools charge more than $6,500 for tuition, and other costs are associated with attending school, such as transportation, uniforms, and books. The average private school tuition in Georgia is $12,664, roughly double that of the voucher. While the bill would greatly reduce the cost of attending a private school, the cost would still be unfeasible for low-income families; thus, the bill only subsidizes costs for more well-off families.

 According to US Census data, in 2022, the median household income in Athens-Clarke County is $45,917, and the cost of Prince Avenue Christian School, a popular private school in Athens, is $13,344 for grades 6-12. A $6,500 voucher only covers half of the cost of tuition for schools like Prince Avenue, and in a county where 20% of families live below the poverty line, the school voucher is not a viable solution to the public school problem. 

In areas like Baldwin County, where 4 out of 6 public schools are in the bottom 25%, or in Athens-Clarke County, where 4 out of 14 public schools remain in the bottom, the issue is not public school versus private school, but public school versus the state.

Counties such as these that are historically a part of Georgia’s “Black Belt,” which is known for rich soil, plantation history, and rural poverty, disproportionately face inadequate education. Georgians in the “Black Belt” have historically and currently been subjected to systemic discrimination. Schools in the “Black Belt” are characterized by fewer students, lower enrollment, higher rates of poverty, and a higher percentage of Black students compared to other counties. Counties in these areas also have a significantly higher percentage of inexperienced and out-of-field teachers, leading to a distinctive difference in the quality of education. Out-of-field teachers specialize in one subject, but due to budget constraints and scarcity, they are forced to teach subjects they are not exceptionally knowledgeable about. 

The Georgia Policy and Budget Institute suggests that the state government should give additional funding to schools with students living in poverty. In the U.S., 42 states offer funding for public schools based on poverty levels. For example, in Texas, of which the Eastern part is considered part of the “Black Belt,” sponsors the Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program to support rural districts through funding teacher recruitment, activities, and professional development. It is imperative to the future of public school education that Congressmen in Georgia explore programs and policies to support the “Black Belt” instead of writing public school off. 

The Georgia Center for Opportunity, a school choice non-profit, and The Georgia Parents Alliance, a group of engaged parents, dominate the School Choice Movement and advocated for S.B. 233. Meanwhile, the Georgia Association of Educators, a union of public school teachers, staunchly opposes school choice as they fear the draining of public school funds.

Private School Vouchers are not the “end-all, be-all solution " they are marketed as. Instead, Georgian public schools ranked in the bottom 25%, specifically in the “Black Belt,” should receive additional funding and incentives to improve their programs. Public schools and the right to education are hallmarks of American beliefs and must be protected through investment.