Arete’s approach to the tax credit scholarship program supports education of the public by providing low-income families with access to high-quality educational opportunities. School choice currently exists in various forms in Georgia and Louisiana, including public, charter, virtual, home and private schools. But for those families without financial means or the ability to relocate to another school district, the only choice is sometimes an environment that does not meet a child’s learning needs. Arete simply empowers low-income families to choose the right school for their own children ̶ thereby offering opportunity and hope to a segment of the public that seldom enjoys it.
In addition, research has shown that academic performance and graduation rates improve for both scholarship recipients and the public school systems where programs exist. Tax credit scholarships contribute to the overall public good by helping to narrow the achievement gap for those low-income students who face the greatest obstacles to learning. Arete stands in support of all school choice options as vital to ensuring that all children have access to an exceptional education.
Plus, independent studies of tax credit scholarship programs throughout the country continue to show net savings in states like Georgia and Louisiana that set maximum scholarship amounts lower than the per student expense in public schools. These savings can remain invested in education or other public services.