Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Funding Committee Comes up Short November 4, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Funding Committee Comes up Short A new school funding formula Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission is developing threatens to lock in deep cuts made under the existing formula if it becomes law. Most school districts get less money under the proposed formula this school year than if the General Assembly provided the full amount calculated by the existing one. […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12
K-12 Education Reports School Districts Get Growing Tab for Student Transportation October 27, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Years of deep cuts in state student transportation funding saddle school districts with more of the cost to bus students to and from school safely. These ongoing cuts could be made permanent if Georgia lawmakers adopt a proposal for a new formula to distribute state money to districts. Georgia requires its 180 districts to provide […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia Shifts Cost to Bus Schoolchildren to Local Districts October 27, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Georgia Shifts Cost to Bus Schoolchildren to Local Districts Every day across Georgia school buses carry students safely to and from school. This is an essential service, which the state requires school districts to provide. Transporting students also comes with a hefty price tag yet the state contributes little to its cost. The General Assembly has cut school transportation funding for more than a […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Planned Financial Support for Low-Income Students in a Slump October 7, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission members agree the state should send extra dollars to school districts to help them better meet the needs of low-income students but “extra” now means much less than it once did. The commission is developing a new formula to distribute state funds to public schools. It considered allotting an […] Read more » Education Education Reform
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Georgia’s Path to School Funding Reform Reaches Crossroads September 16, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs An updated version of this report is available Georgia’s effort to overhaul the formula it uses to split about $8.5 billion per year in state money among its 180 school districts is gaining momentum despite important omissions. A governor-appointed commission appears ready to adopt a new funding method that leaves issues critical to students’ success […] Read more » Education K-12
Claire Suggs Featured Past Events GBPI Fall Policy Forum 2015 August 21, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Thank you to everyone who attended our forum on Oct. 27, “Improving Student Achievement: The Education Reform Commission and Beyond” hosted by the event’s co-sponsor, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Here is a sample of the presentations delivered at the forum: Mike Griffith, School Finance Consultant with the Education Commission of the States – Georgia School […] Read more »
Blog Claire Suggs Teacher Compensation a Contentious Issue for Education Reform Commission July 15, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 3 Comments on Teacher Compensation a Contentious Issue for Education Reform Commission Education funding is often a contentious topic, and so it is for the governor’s Education Reform Commission as a key subcommittee reconvenes this week for its July 16 meeting. Commission members disagree whether a new formula for funding public schools should be based on an assessment of cost, as I described in an earlier blog. […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12
Blog Claire Suggs Education Reform Commission – Can We Talk About the Cost? May 27, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs The Education Reform Commission established by Gov. Nathan Deal spent a lot of time talking about money in recent months. Its members considered an alternative approach to distributing state funds that gives districts greater flexibility in using those dollars. They also discussed differences in students’ needs and changing how funds are allocated based on those […] Read more » Education Governor Deal K-12 State Budget
Blog Claire Suggs Reworking QBE, Teacher Compensation Weighed by Education Reform Panel May 8, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs The funding committee of the Education Reform Commission is considering big changes to teacher compensation as it moves rapidly to meet the governor’s August deadline to recommend a new formula to distribute state dollars to public schools. At its late April meeting committee members also considered ways to calculate base funding for each student, which […] Read more » Education K-12
Blog Claire Suggs Latest Tuition Hike Clouds Goal to Increase Graduates May 1, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs A college education in Georgia just got less affordable. Tuition is going up again in the wake of cuts in state funds for the university system. Families now earn less than 20 years ago. The HOPE Scholarship covers far less than it used to and many students do not receive it. A college degree is […] Read more » Education HOPE Scholarship
