Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Better Pay for Honest Work November 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy Georgia’s economy is increasingly tilted toward the types of jobs that don’t pay workers enough to make ends meet or keep their families out of poverty. They are food servers at local restaurants. Retail clerks selling products they can’t afford. Home health aides helping the […] Read more »
Author Claire Suggs K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Reports Cutting Class to Make Ends Meet 2014 October 16, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs Schools across Georgia continue to scramble to meet students’ needs as they cope with years of deep cuts in state funding. A new Georgia Budget and Policy Institute survey of school systems finds districts raised class sizes and cut instructional programs in response to state cuts. A modest increase of $314 million in state funding […] Read more » K-12
Author Claire Suggs K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Reports The Schoolhouse Squeeze 2014 September 4, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs State Cuts, Lost Property Values Still Pinch School Districts Georgia’s 180 school districts continue to face enormous financial pressures. The Georgia Legislature cut more than $8.4 billion in funding for public schools in recent years. At the same time, local funding for schools slipped precipitously following the plunge in property values triggered by the Great […] Read more » K-12
Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice State of Working Georgia 2014 August 27, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Workers Squeezed by Tough Labor Market, Shrinking Paychecks Georgia’s economy has improved markedly since the darkest days of the Great Recession, but workers and their families remain pinched from the lingering fallout. Unemployment remains high, wages are depressed and many workers are stuck in low-quality jobs. African-Americans and Georgians with fewer years of education are […] Read more »
Budget and Taxes Budget Primer Policy Areas Reports Georgia Budget Primer 2015 August 6, 2014 / April 14, 2020 by GBPI Admin GBPI is proud to publish the latest edition of our annual comprehensive analysis of the state’s financial blueprint, the “Georgia Budget Primer 2015.” This primer is a clear explanation of the state’s revenue collections and its current spending plan through next June. The 2015 edition tells the story of a state that continues to shortchange […] Read more » State Budget
Author Featured Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Bad Times for Good Jobs July 17, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s Shrinking Middle Class Opportunity A good-paying job is the cornerstone of a secure middle-class life, but Georgia’s private sector economy is failing to provide enough of them. Industries in Georgia that pay a middle-class wage suffered most during the Great Recession, and have come back more slowly than low- and high-wage industries during the […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Menu of Revenue Options to Pave Way for Georgia’s Rebound June 26, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Low Revenues Keeping Georgia on a Path to Mediocrity, 2014 Update Georgia is one of the lowest-taxed states in the country, which prevents state and local governments from collecting the revenue they need to fully fund education, public services and other ingredients of economic success. But lawmakers can reverse these budget shortfalls by choosing from […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports At the Bottom of a Broken Ladder June 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson A Profile of Georgia’s Low-Income Working Families Nearly four in ten of Georgia’s working families with children are “low-income.”1 A low-income family of three with one child earns less than $36,960 per year. This could be the family of a cook at your favorite restaurant and a paraprofessional at your local school, working full-time in […] Read more »
Author Featured Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia Still Climbing Out of Deep Economic Hole May 8, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe State of Working Georgia: Spring Update, 2014 Georgia continues to face serious economic challenges more than four years since the start of the national recovery, despite some gradual movement in the right direction. Companies are adding new jobs and unemployment is declining these days, but relatively modest growth is leaving many workers and families behind. […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Adding Up the Fiscal Notes: 2014 Session Recap April 11, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Tax Measures Further Whittle Away Revenues A collection of tax measures that could drain up to $286 million from Georgia’s state treasury and $207 million from its local governments over the next five years gained the approval of the General Assembly this year. Although not as large as some past tax packages, the foregone revenue […] Read more » State Taxes
