Category: Stephen Owens

Retirement in Georgia’s Public Schools

 Overview The state of Georgia maintains two pension systems for employees in public schools: the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). TRS members include full-time, certificated public teachers and school leaders. Once you

Read More »

School Vouchers: Myth vs. Fact

Debates around school funding and the best use of public dollars are rife with confusion. Discussion around school vouchers, which provide public funding for private education, seem to be a particular magnet for half-truths or previously disproven claims. The following

Read More »

Testimony on Senate Bill 47

Dear Chairman Payne and Members of the Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth:  By way of introduction my name is Stephen Owens, and I’m a senior K-12 education policy analyst for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. It is always my desire to give testimony in-person, but as

Read More »

Overview: 2022 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education

    Gov. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 provides Georgia’s public schools $10.2 billion, a $573 million increase above current funding. This addition would partially restore cuts from the FY 2021 budget, with the Quality Basic Education

Read More »

Georgia's 2027 Budget Primer

The budget primer outlines the state budget for the year, recognizes substantial changes from the preceding year and provides a clear-eyed view on what lawmakers have prioritized for our state. This year, there will also be a focus on budget trends over the full eight years of Gov. Kemp’s tenure as we prepare for Georgia’s next leaders to take office.

Our budget primer is slated to be published the first day of the fiscal year, July 1. Join us for our virtual town hall to discuss our data, or request a physical copy of the primer to be sent to your address.

Submit your comment on the Georgia Pathways to Coverage Program

Submit public comment on Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program extension by February 20th – just complete this easily fillable form: