Levitas wants real debate on special-needs vouchers
January 30, 2007 at 12:32 am by Web Editor in News
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Freshman state Rep. Kevin Levitas, D-Atlanta, says he isn’t outright opposed to Sen. Eric Johnson’s, R-Savannah, Senate Bill 10 that would enable the parents of special-needs students to use vouchers to enroll their children in private schools.
But Levitas believes the bill is on a fast track to passage, and that worries him.
"The bill has already been favorably reported out of the full committee," Levitas says. "If it’s passed in the Senate and comes to the House this week, that’s quick."
Too quick, by Levitas’ estimation.
"This is a complicated issue," the state representative says. "I don’t think we can possibly vote on this bill in such a short time frame. We’re a deliberative body for a reason. My hope is that we would take the time to give this bill its full assessment. Let’s slow it down. Let’s hear from everybody."
When he ran as a candidate last year, Levitas said education was his top priority. As he has considered Johnson’s bill in anticipation of its appearance in the House, the new legislator says he recently attended a Tucker Parent Council event, along with Sen. Steve Henson, D-Tucker.
"Reaction to special-needs vouchers was mixed," Levitas says. "There were parents who said, "÷I support vouchers.’ There were parents of special-needs children who don’t support it."
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