Education

Georgia Senate Democrats Who Voted Against School Choice Bill Sent Their Kids To Private Schools

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Chrissy Clark Contributor
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Three of the four members of the Georgia Senate Education Committee who voted against a school choice bill sent their children to private schools, the Daily Caller uncovered.

Democratic state Sens. Elana Parent, Lester Jackson, Sonya Halpern and Freddie Sims voted against the “Georgia Educational Freedom Act,” which would allow families to take their child’s educational dollars to private schools and tutoring programs. Parents could spend that money on instructional materials, educational therapies and online learning programs for their children as well.

The bill is considered one of the most expansive school choice bills in the nation, according to school choice experts. (RELATED: Georgia Senate Education Committee Passed Bill To Fund Students Over Public School Systems)

Sens. Parent, Jackson and Halpern admitted that they send their children to private schools while voting against legislation that could expand access to such schools. Parent told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2021 that she sent her child to private school and believes the “public shouldn’t pay for it just because he has ADHD.”

Jackson sent his son Lester Jackson IV to Savannah Country Day School, according to an article from the Savannah Tribune. Tuition at Savannah Country Day costs approximately $22,000 per year. The legislation that Jackson voted against could lower the cost to $16,000 per year for students.

Halpern admitted on video that her kids attend private and public schools.

Sims, who has three daughters, vaguely stated that she made “that choice” on whether to send her kids to private or public schools “years ago,” according to video footage obtained by the Daily Caller.

Jackson, Halpern and Sims did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.

Parent did not answer the Daily Caller’s question regarding supposed hypocrisy for sending her child to private school while nixing a bill expanding access to private school. Instead, she argued that a $6,000 tuition decrease for private schools was insufficient to lower the cost of private school tuition and would be better spent on public schools.

“This legislation only provides $6,000, and 71% of Georgia private schools, including almost all in metro Atlanta, cost far more,” Parent said. “Therefore, this bill provides the illusion of allowing kids to go to private school but the tuition will still be out of reach for the vast majority and meanwhile the money siphoned from the system will make it more difficult to provide a quality education for the millions of kids who will remain in the public schools.”