ATLANTA --- A high-ranking Republican signaled the beginning of a new battle over school vouchers Thursday, saying he would propose a bill next year to provide taxpayer funds for at least some students to go to private schools.

But Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, the No. 2 official in the upper chamber, also said lawmakers might be forced to delay a measure to provide tax credits for contributions to private-school scholarship funds because of the state's deepening budget crisis.

In a speech at an event marking the birthday of the late Milton Friedman, an economist who pushed for vouchers, Mr. Johnson said the measure would help both private and public schools by encouraging competition.

"If we offer every child the right to choose their schools ... Georgia will skyrocket to the top of the educational rankings," he said. "We don't need to destroy the public schools; we need to challenge them more."

Mr. Johnson also unveiled a poll conducted by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research that found about 68 percent of Georgians surveyed approved of allowing students to go to either public or private schools if it didn't cost taxpayers more to send them.

Earlier this year, Mr. Johnson spearheaded a battle to provide vouchers to children in schools that repeatedly fail federal No Child Left Behind standards.