Budget Primer Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Georgia K-12 Education Budget Primer for State Fiscal Year 2019 July 1, 2018 / October 13, 2026 by Claire Suggs Download PDF Education Funding in Georgia: Financial Challenges for Schools Remain Lawmakers reached a critical benchmark with the 2019 budget: For the first time since 2002, they sent school districts the full amount of money calculated by the state’s formula for funding public schools. This marks important progress in supplying schools the resources necessary to […] Read more » Budget Education education-funding K-12 Quality Basic Education formula
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Shifting Public Funds to Private Schools: High Costs, Poor Track Record April 26, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia lawmakers created multiple pathways to shift public funds to private schools in recent years. These schemes risk reducing money available to invest in public schools and critical state services including early learning, higher education, and community health. Little is known about the academic outcomes of Georgia students participating in these programs or the private […] Read more » 529 plans Claire Suggs Education K-12 private schools public-schools school vouchers student scholarship organizations tax credit
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Valuable Progress, More Work Ahead for Public School Funding April 18, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia lawmakers reached a critical milestone during the 2018 legislative session: They ended 16 years of shortchanging the state’s formula for funding K-12 schools. The General Assembly added $167 million to the 2019 state budget to send school districts across Georgia the full amount promised under the formula for the first time since 2002. It […] Read more »
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Lawmakers Push to Shift Public Money to Private Schools March 5, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia lawmakers seem determined to subsidize private schools with public dollars. Witness several bills in the 2018 General Assembly to create or expand schemes to shift public dollars to private schools. It’s better to provide public schools the resources needed to ensure all students reach the state’s ambitious learning goals before lawmakers consider these bills. […] Read more » Education Education Savings Account HB 217 HB 482 HB 664 K-12 private schools
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Time for Lawmakers to Choose Students Over Tax Cuts February 26, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Lawmakers are racing to pass a risky tax package that drains $1.4 billion a year from the state treasury once fully implemented. A better choice is to hit the pause button and send school districts the full amount of money the state’s own K-12 funding formula calculates they should get. The General Assembly is underfunding […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Education education-funding funding-formula HB 918 K-12 public-schools tax cuts
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Private School Savings Accounts Lack Oversight, Could Prove Costly February 22, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Bill 482 (LC 33 7253S) Georgia lawmakers are considering a plan to allow parents to take state money to pay for private schools and educational services. House Bill 482 creates an individual Education Savings Account, or ESA, program. The program would allow parents to redirect state money to pay for tuition and […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education Education Savings Account ESA HB 482 K-12 private schools
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Shrinking State Funds Trigger Student Bus Safety Concerns February 12, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Shrinking state funding for student transportation and rising costs are making it more difficult for school districts across Georgia to get children to and from school safely. The worsening financial pinch leaves districts with aging bus fleets on the road past their intended life, concerns about student safety and far fewer dollars to invest in […] Read more » Budget bus Claire Suggs Education K-12 Transportation
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Push to Expand Private School Tax Scholarships Disregards Lack of Evidence, Accountability February 8, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia’s Senate appears poised to act on an expansion of the state’s tax credit scholarship for private schools. This is despite a lack of reliable evidence on the existing program’s effectiveness or any proper safeguards to ensure it’s a good deal for taxpayers. House Bill 217 was introduced in 2017 and almost made it to […] Read more » Education Georgia Department of Education HB 217 K-12 Private School Scholarships
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2019 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education February 5, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 provides nearly $9.8 billion to educate Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students, a boost of nearly $353 million over current funding. Most of the increase goes to student enrollment growth, routine adjustments in teachers’ salaries, and the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia. Districts will continue to […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education Georgia Department of Education K-12 State Budget teachers Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Poverty Leaves a Mark on Albany Area Schools December 20, 2017 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Poverty Leaves a Mark on Albany Area Schools The teachers at Alice Coachman Elementary School in Dougherty County are quick to tell you the students are smart. They may lack foundational skills but not intelligence. The declaration captures the promise of so many children in poverty and the challenges they confront, as well as the schools they attend. I visited the school as […] Read more » child-poverty Dougherty County Education Georgia Department of Education K-12 poverty
