Georgia’s Promise Schools List released. What could it mean for underserved southwest Georgia public schools?

ALBANY – Students at public schools that perform as the bottom 25% of Georgia’s schools can now apply for the Georgia Promise Scholarship after the state released the list of Promise Schools on Tuesday.

The scholarship, made possible by a bill signed into law in 2024, aims to empower families to pursue “exceptional educational programs through nonpublic schooling.” It offers $6,500 to students who live within the school zone of any school on the list to be used for private school tuition or homeschooling resources.

To qualify, the student must have attended the school for at least one year or be a rising kindergarten student. Parents must have been Georgia residents for at least a year, with exceptions for active-duty military personnel.

Some Republican lawmakers are touting the bill as a move for “parental and school choice” and expanding access to better education opportunities. Meanwhile, opponents wonder what this scholarship will mean for funding at these schools among the bottom 25%.

Schools from nearly each county in southwest Georgia made the Promise Schools list, which can be viewed at the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website. When the list was initially released during the Thanksgiving weekend, Lee County High School was named, but that list was rescinded. The current one was published without LCHS as well as four other schools.

Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, who sponsored the bill, said, in a statement about the signing of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, that the state is affirming a commitment to the future of the state’s students and family.

“By establishing the Georgia Education Savings Authority and funding promise scholarship accounts, we give parents the choice of education and open a door for educational success for students of all backgrounds,” he said in the statement.

Kyle Wingfield is president and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit that analyzes laws. In a statement, he wrote that this scholarship brings hope to families looking for alternative options for their children’s schooling.

“There’s nothing more important for your children’s future than their education,” he wrote. “For my own family, one of the things I’m most grateful for is the public charter school my kids attend. Every child deserves such an education. We can all be thankful that Georgia is making that possible for more families.”

Lisa Morgan, the president of the Georgia Association of Educators, said it is not surprising that southwest Georgia schools made the list. The rankings are based heavily on standardized test scores, which she said correlate with two student characteristics: parental education level and family income.

The Dougherty County School System, which had nine of its 22 schools make the list, has a minority enrollment of 100%, and about 72% of its students are economically disadvantaged, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

Nine of the Dougherty County School System’s 22 schools made it onto the Georgia Promise Schools List, which represents the bottom 25% performing schools in the state. They include:

1. Alice Coachman Elementary School

2. Dougherty Comprehensive High School

3. Live Oak Elementary School

4. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School

5. Monroe High School

6. Radium Springs Elementary School

7. Radium Springs Middle School

8. Robert H. Harvey Elementary School

9. Turner Elementary School

“The schools on the list serve primarily students who are experiencing poverty and our minority students,” Morgan said. “The reality is that for the majority of those students, there is no promise in this so-called Promise Scholarship.”

Morgan said private schools get to choose whether to enroll students applying for the program. She said in other states that have tried a similar model, the majority of students who participate in the scholarship program already attend private school.

The GAE opposed the state measure. Morgan said most of the schools on the list are lacking resources like counselors, mental health support and adequate teaching staff.

“None of those issues, which impact all the students in the school, were talked about,” she said.

Georgia Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, said she believes every parent has a right to choose where to send their children for school; however, she feels the state Department of Education is abandoning public education with this decision. Sims said the scholarship is taking taxpayer dollars away from public education and placing it in institutions that aren’t held accountable for those dollars, like public schools are.

She said the program is a product of poor leadership from the DOE.

“We are still in a recuperating mode … from COVID-19, trying to catch children up who are behind,” Sims said. “It’s sad to say some of them will never catch up because there has not been a concerted effort in the state from the DOE to make certain that all children across the state received a good education.”

Dougherty County School System Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said he is worried about unintended consequences that may arise from this program. He said it may divert funding from public schools that already have an underserved student population.

Georgia is also one of six states that doesn’t allocate funding for a “weight” for economically disadvantaged students.

Dyer said he also is concerned about eligibility being based on school attendance zones. He said this could have devastating consequences, especially for rural school districts that may have only one elementary, middle and high school.

“You’re going to impact a lot more than the bottom 25% of schools,” he said.

Dyer said the list also may shape perceptions about the DCSS schools because it does not reflect the progress DCSS is making and the ample resources it provides to serve students both academically and non-academically.

The superintendent applauded DCSS principals for doing an excellent job meeting the diverse needs of DCSS students.

“They’re not always reflected in the raw test scores, but if you look at the growth and the progress that have been made since 2015 … COVID-19 … I’m encouraged by that,” he said.

DCSS schools have improved literacy and math scores as well as increased graduation rates. The school system also provides a wide array of services to its students, including health care, mental health services and opportunities for families as a whole.

“I do believe that the majority of our parents, regardless of whether their school — their child’s school — is on the list, they know the work that’s being done, they see the difference that’s being made, and they’ll choose to stay,” he said. “We’re confident that improvements will continue, and we’re not going to be guided by a perception based on a list.”

Dyer also said he has no reason to believe that the state won’t continue to meet the needs of families who choose to stay in public education.

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