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Democrat's woke candidate for Georgia governor was caught sending her children to an elite $40,000-a-year academy despite her party's staunch opposition to programs that help less wealthy students attend 'unaccountable private entities'.
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students → see → entities
Keisha Lance Bottoms, 56, was revealed to have sent her children to Woodward Academy, a private institution with tuition upwards of $37,000 a year.
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Bottoms → reveal → tuition
While Bottoms has not publicly outlined a position on school choice programs that allow students to use public funds for private tuition, the Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) strongly opposes the policy they call a 'scam to siphon taxpayer money away from public schools'.
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they → outline → schools
'While [Governor Brian Kemp] and his administration preside over a failed rollout of a failed idea, Georgia Democrats will keep fighting for a high quality, fully funded public school system that works for all students,' said DPG in a statement slamming the Republican's school choice program.
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DPG → preside → program
Bottoms, meanwhile, has been a strong proponent of her party's message that vows to increase funding for public schools, even as she sends her own children to the cushy private school in College Park.
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she → vow → Park
The former mayor has already had two of her four children graduate from the academy.
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two → have → academy
Tuition this year for her 15-year-old twins, who just recently posed in photos wearing the school's uniforms and have profiles on the sports team, would cost nearly $80,000 for both.
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who → pose → both
While it is unclear how many years each of Bottoms's children attended the school, the cost for a student to have a full 14-year career at Woodward Academy from pre-K to 12th grade graduation would cost $477,740.
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student → attend → 477,740
Parents sending four children through 14 years at the private school would have a tuition bill just shy of $2 million under today's rates.
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Parents → send → rates
Keisha Lance Bottoms, a 56-year-old Democrat running for Georgia Governor, was caught sending her children to Woodward Academy, a private institution with tuition upwards of $37,000 a year
The former mayor has already had two of her four children graduate from the pricey academy, which at today's rate of tuition would cost $477,740 to attend from pre-K to 12th grade (Bottoms's son, Langston pictured)
Her opponent, Republican Rick Jackson, 72, supports programs that provide families with financial assistance to help them choose where they send their children – including vouchers to help pay for private tuition.
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they → run → tuition
Several polls show that Bottoms and Jackson are neck and neck heading into the November election, with school choice being a major issue in the race.
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choice → show → race
The Democrat is also hoping for Georgia to meet its universal pre-K pledge, which is intended to provide a free spot to any parent who wants to enroll their child.
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who → hop → child
However, the program currently serves only about 57 percent of eligible four-year-olds, with shortages of available spaces in some parts of the state, according to the Georgia Recorder.
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program → serve → Recorder
Bottoms proposed spending an additional $330 million on the program, 57 percent above the 2026 budget, which would be financed by legalizing casino gambling, according to the outlet.
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which → propose → outlet
'As a mother of four, I know every child deserves a strong start in school.
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child → know → school
Yet each year in Georgia, thousands of four-year-olds are left behind,' Bottoms said in a statement to the Georgia Recorder.
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Bottoms → leave → Recorder
Bottoms has not publicly outlined a position on Georgia's school-choice policy, an umbrella term for policies that allow students in the Peach State to attend a school other than their assigned local public school
Her opponent, Republican Rick Jackson, 72, supports providing families with financial assistance to help them choose where they send their children
'
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they → outline → children
Families face long pre-K waiting lists, and the program reaches only about 60% of eligible children.
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program → face → children
Faced with a months-long wait, many families are not signing up at all.
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families → face → wait
'My plan creates a dedicated, recurring funding source, without raising taxes, to ensure that every parent who wants their child to attend Georgia's pre-k program has that opportunity,' she added.
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she → create → opportunity
Georgia ranks 26th in education in the country, according to US News & World Report's Best States rankings.
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Georgia → rank → rankings
Bottoms told WGXA in May that education and affordability were the two biggest issues driving her campaign.
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education → tell → campaign
'Education is a game changer,' she told the outlet.
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she → tell → outlet
'I want to create a free pathway for technical and community college.'
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I → want → college
The Democrat believes that by providing high school graduates with free technical and community college it will create better opportunities to land good-paying jobs or prepare for a new career.
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it → believe → career
Bottoms has previously boasted about being a product of the public school system, where she graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta.
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she → boast → Atlanta
Bottoms pictured in 2020 speaking at Woodward Academy
She went on to enroll at Florida A&M University, receiving her bachelor's in communications before earning a law degree from Georgia State University College of Law.
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She → picture → Law
The Daily Mail has reached out to Bottoms for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
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