Arlington, Va.— The Institute for Justice, the nation’s leading legal advocate for school choice, applauded Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue for signing legislation today that gives Georgia’s parents the right to choose their children’s school with scholarships funded by income tax credits. 

“Georgia has opened the doors of educational choice to families across the state by giving parents the choice of where to send their children to school,” said Chip Mellor, president and general counsel of the Institute for Justice.  “Choosing something as important as where your child goes to school should be a fundamental right, and Georgia’s legislators should be commended for helping to make that right a reality.”

The new program provides a tax credit to individuals and corporations that give money to student scholarship organizations.  Those organizations can then fund scholarships for families to use at the private school of their choice.

“Not only does Georgia’s new school choice program enhance educational opportunity for Georgia’s children, but it does so in a way that is clearly constitutional both under the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions,” said IJ Senior Attorney Bert Gall.  “Any legal challenge to the program by opponents of school choice would be frivolous.  But should one arise, we will defend the program on behalf of parents and children.” 

IJ has successfully defended choice programs in courtrooms nationwide, including the landmark 2002 U.S. Supreme Court victory for school choice in Cleveland.

Georgia has a long history of allowing its citizens to use choice to secure educational opportunities.  Indeed, as identified in a report released by the Institute for Justice, “Private Choice in Public Programs:  How Private Institutions Secure Social Services for Georgians,” Georgia currently dedicates almost $1 billion per year to several scholarship or grant programs related to the care and education of its young people that involve private providers, from pre-kindergarten through post-secondary education.  These programs serve almost 500,000 individuals.