ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - On Monday, subcommittees presented their Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal to the Georgia House Appropriations Committee.

State Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, suggested that instead of the $141 million estimated to cover the need for school vouchers, the state should budget $45 million.

The move would drastically decrease the number of available $6,500 vouchers from more than 20,000 to less than 7,000.

The Georgia Student Finance Commission reports they’ve received 4,500 applications since they started taking them 10 days ago.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Some Georgia lawmakers want to repeal school voucher program before first voucher is awarded

Holly Terei is a self-proclaimed voucher kid who is now helping parents apply for vouchers. She said she can’t understand why lawmakers are looking to cut funding.

“I know firsthand how life-changing having access to educational choice can be,” Terei said. “I can’t wrap my mind around it. The parents who are applying for these scholarships and hoping and praying their children will be accepted, they can’t wrap their mind around it either.”

The first application period ends on April 15. There is a second application period in June.

Critics of the program, like state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, called it a warning sign that the governor’s school choice initiative is not living up to its promise.

“What I’m calling on my colleagues to do, is to make sure that the program is effective and that it’s meeting the needs of the students that it was intended to meet right now, and we haven’t done that,” Esteves said. “If we want to talk about improving our schools, then we have to focus on where the vast majority of our students go, which is our public schools.”

The governor’s office said in a statement they do not comment on pending legislation.

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