Josh Thomas is a Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action. In this role, he works with leaders and lawmakers from the southeastern states to promote student-centered solutions focused on educational quality, innovation and opportunity.
Good things are happening in the southeast as Georgia and South Carolina policymakers take steps toward helping more children have access to a quality education that fits their needs.
In Georgia, Representative Wes Cantrell has sponsored House Bill 60, which creates a new Education Savings Account program (ESA) for the state.
The program would provide the state share of education funds to families with greater need for educational options but without the means to pursue them. The legislation targets students in low-income families, adopted children, students who are being bullied at their current school and children in military families.
Cantrell is an outstanding proponent for students in need. This program would benefit the students who need it the most, especially as potential learning loss due to the pandemic becomes more evident this year.
House Bill 60 was approved by the House Education Committee on Thursday.
In South Carolina, House Speaker Jay Lucas has garnered nearly 60 co-sponsors for a bill that would create the first ESA program in the Palmetto State.
“The pandemic has jeopardized the future of our youngest students,” our statement on the proposal said. “Speaker Lucas’ proposal is a bold and targeted step to help students in economically disadvantaged families who don’t have the resources to access educational options.”
Please drop me a line anytime – Josh@ExcelinEd.org – on these topics or on other education policies that aim to improve learning opportunities for all students.
