Study: Ga. scholarship law 'failed experiment'

ATLANTA - An education nonprofit says Georgia's law giving tax breaks to people who donate to nonprofits designed to pay for poor children to attend private schools is a ``failed experiment.''

The Southern Education Foundation's study released Tuesday shows that the law lacks transparency, which has created multiple violations. The study shows that some students benefiting from the scholarships never actually attended public schools and some of those students are attending private schools that don't meet the law's accreditation requirements.

Georgia residents can get up to $2,500 in tax breaks annually for donating to one of the organizations. The study shows that $72.1 million in breaks have been handed out so far.

Supporters of the program say the money given to the students is private donations and shouldn't be subject to the same transparency as state dollars.