GISA is the largest association of private independent and parochial schools in Georgia. The mission of GISA is to advance excellence and collaboration among Georgia's independent schools by serving the professional growth, advocacy, and interscholastic needs of member schools. In Georgia, as throughout the nation, each member school is unique. Each shares a commitment to overall excellence and to the nurture and care of the physical, intellectual, social and moral development of all students.
To date, 65 GISA member schools throughout Georgia are actively participating in the GOAL Scholarship Program. These schools are dedicated to the task of informing their parents, faculty and administration, alumni, and local business leaders about the benefits of re-directing all or a portion of their state income taxes to GOAL. As a result, to date, the GOAL Scholarship Program has provided GOAL Scholarships to approximately 400 students so that they can attend the GISA member schools of their choice.
GISA member schools participating in the GOAL Scholarship Program encourage contributors to GOAL to designate that their contributions be used to provide GOAL Scholarships at their schools. Also, in cases where potential contributors, especially corporate contributors, desire to re-direct their Georgia state income taxes to be used in support of scholarships at a number of private schools based on geographical location, income, mission, or other unique factors, they can designate that their contributions be used accordingly. Also, potential contributors can make undesignated contributions to a common GISA-GOAL Fund from which scholarships will be awarded to students attending GISA member schools that have enrolled in the GISA-GOAL Fund (regardless of whether they are participating with GOAL or another SSO). GISA-GOAL Funds are allocated based on the same “per head” formula that GISA uses in determining the dues paid by its member schools.
In order to ensure private school compliance with, and public confidence in, the HB 1133 program, GISA member schools that participate in the GISA-GOAL Fund must agree to adhere to the following policies:
• There should be no contrived arrangements with students from GISA schools to leave the school in order to re-apply seeking HB 1133 scholarships.
• HB 1133 scholarships shall not be awarded to students who are enrolled in private school, even for a short period of time, and scholarships shall not be backdated to remedy any oversights in this regard.
• Designations of contributions to individual students shall not be permitted.
• GISA schools should not use HB 1133 scholarships to recruit and provide aid to students for athletic purposes.
The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program is honored that GISA has chosen GOAL as its partner in promoting the HB 1133 tuition tax credit and implementing GOAL among interested GISA member schools. If you have any questions about GISA-GOAL, please contact Lisa Kelly at lmkelly@goalscholarship.org. The GISA website is located at http://www.gisa-schools.org/.
