Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) has just announced, during a press conference, his intention to opt Georgia into the federal tax scholarship program for school choice, which is made possible by the One Big, Beautiful Bill. This program will provide a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit for up to $1,700 for individuals who donate to authorized scholarship-granting organizations.
Those organizations will then be able to use their newly acquired funds to provide K-12 education scholarships for eligible families who earn under 300% of the median income of their particular area.
These scholarships will cover private school tuition, tutoring, school resources, and other expenses. Gov. Kemp emphasized to the media that Georgia already has a donor-funded school choice tax credit program that functions similarly.
This state program is known as the Georgia GOAL Scholarship program, and it was first created in 2008. It then expanded in 2018 and 2022.
Kemp expressed gratitude for the Trump Administration acting as a willing partner in expanding the GOAL program with this federal tax credit. Now, he fully expects that this program will be replicated nationwide.
The Governor also expressed gratitude for all the leaders and advocates of the Georgia General Assembly who helped secure this new partnership. Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-GA) thanked the Trump Administration and the very same leaders for giving Georgians this opportunity, explaining how this all contributes to improving public and private education.
Moving Forward
Jones announced his intention to collaborate with GA House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Effingham) to improve the public education system. This will include empowering parents by providing more access to literacy programs.
Speaker Burns expressed his enthusiasm for working with Jones on this initiative, explaining that this is the first time that Georgia taxpayers will be able to receive federal and state tax credits for their contributions to state programs.
Governor Kemp Announces State & Federal Education Tax Credit Partnership https://t.co/WC4MXUoFXo
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) January 20, 2026
