The Georgia Promise Scholarship is the Peach State’s new school choice program, allowing families with students in low-performing K-12 schools to use up to $6,500 in state funds on private education, homeschooling, or educational support services. The program, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp in 2024, is set to roll out funds soon. Still, its outlook has been overshadowed by delays and concerns about the state’s chosen contractor, New York City-based Odyssey, which is responsible for administering the program.
In May 2025, thousands of parents may have been left in limbo after applying for the Georgia Promise Scholarship, noting other alleged concerns and rollout issues, or delays.
Parents raised concerns that a delay in funding may lead to their children being unable to attend the school of their choice. One parent from Macon, Trayon Walker, reaffirmed this in an interview, stating, "If this is the way that it's going to go, I'm honestly nervous to even get my daughter started."
"I am anxious. I am disappointed," added Walker. "Even if they just said, 'we're still in the process of making final decision, even if they sent out that email," that would be some type of comfort."
Georgians are far from alone in experiencing alleged serious issues with Odyssey as a platform and contractor on state school choice initiatives. Families in other states appear to have experienced glitches, inflated prices, and made improper purchases using the platform. The company has even gone so far as to pocket interest collected from taxpayer funds.
In Louisiana, parents, many anonymously, banded together on Facebook to voice their complaints and confusion about Odyssey’s management of the LA GATOR scholarship, the state’s new universal school choice program. One anonymous parent stated, “The inconsistency and different answers from Odyssey is wild. Odyssey is the platform and doesn’t seem to know what's going on. (Does) anyone know who to contact that is actually running this and knows something?”
Problems with Odyssey’s Louisiana rollout appear to be mounting for families in the state. According to the Louisiana Department of Education, Odyssey’s customer satisfaction has dropped by 10 points in recent months – from 97.8% in March to 88.7% in August – as families encountered problems on Odyssey’s platform.
Odyssey won its first statewide contract in 2022 in Idaho, where its management of the state’s Empowering Parents microgrant program may have been compromised from the beginning.
Most concerning was the reporting that the Idaho's Department of Administration found that Odyssey allegedly pocketed nearly $479,000 in interest from its “holding taxpayer funds in an interest-bearing account and retaining those interest earnings” to which it wasn’t entitled, according to the state Board of Education’s chief policy and government affairs officer, as well as “full financial audit” demanded by the governor related to possible improper purchases.
As a result, Odyssey’s contract ended in October 2024, just two years after it was first awarded.
Missouri experienced similar issues when it was reported that Odyssey handled its Close the Gap program, which appears to have used federal COVID funds to offer low-income students up to $1,500 for tutoring, computers, summer camps and other academic resources. However, the program was “plagued with cancelled orders, price gouging and a lack of inventory.”
"Odyssey has strict policies in place to ensure that parents receive the most competitive prices possible. Vendors on our platform are required to comply with those standards and when issues arise we hold them accountable," stated a spokesperson from Odyssey said in response to our request for comment. "The broader claims of “cancelled orders” and “lack of inventory” are misleading to readers, and to suggest the program was “plagued” is inaccurate. Missouri’s Close the Gap program provided thousands of low-income families with access to supplemental educational opportunities."
Odyssey set up a marketplace where parents could spend their awards on products provided by approved vendors, yet many were left unable to purchase or receive any products. As one parent told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Why didn’t you work these bugs out before you started telling people about the program? … Nobody is getting anything, and they keep giving everybody the runaround.”
The Washington Examiner reported on allegations of fraudulent activity around Odyssey’s bidding practices. As the Examiner reported, “Odyssey’s business model has been to undervalue services provided at a loss to the company, win the contract based on the price, and eventually procure enough contracts in enough states to make up the lost funds.”
Odyssey’s connections are also quite suspicious. Last year it received a $10 million funding round led by NYC-based Democratic political consultant Bradley Tusk. Tusk is known for advising former NYC Mayor and major liberal donor Michael Bloomberg. Most recently Tusk penned an op-ed that appears to come out in support of socialist NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
"But based on what we know right now, it is hard to see Mamdani losing the general election. And given that, if you love New York City and want to see it thrive, even if Mamdani’s views and politics are not your own (they’re certainly not mine), let’s do what we can to help him succeed," stated Tusk in his opinion piece.
Tusk Strategies CEO, Chris Coffey , stated this on "X" that "Mamdani ran one hell of an effort. Hope the folks working for him in him in whatever fashion are getting to really enjoy this. Not sure how they could have done too much better."
But even though are are allegations and parental complaints against Odyssey, both Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones have touted the program as a win for Georgia families and the cause of school choice
