The head of Georgia’s teachers union said Friday that an element of Republicans’ federal tax plan is a step toward school segregation.
Sid Chapman, president of the Georgia Association of Educators, criticized a part of the plan that would allow parents to use money from their 529 college savings plans for K-12 education, including at private schools. Though not as aggressive as some public education advocates feared, the policy change would be a step in favor of the school choice movement.
“There’s a huge amount of money in public education,” Chapman said Friday during an editorial board meeting at the Times Free Press. “And if you can get that into the private sector and siphon that off into these private charter companies, scholarships, backpacking, savings accounts – call it whatever you want; they’re still vouchers. It takes money away from school. And it takes out those students. You’re left with those who can’t go. You’re re-segregating on different levels.”
He also said the $10,000 allowed under the plan wouldn’t be a substantial fix, even for families who wanted to move their children out of public schools.
“Most private schools are, what? $25,000, $30,000 a year? Or more,” Chapman said. “So it only helps those who are financially able to do that already. A lot of folks are buying into that concept: ‘Oh, I can send my child to a private school.’ Well, no.”