Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Overview: 2025 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education January 30, 2024 / January 31, 2024 by Stephen Owens Introduction Governor Kemp’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal provides Georgia’s public schools $13.3 billion, a $1.4 billion increase above current funding. The proposal includes increases to the Quality Basic Education Program of $368 million to give teachers a cost-of-living adjustment and $242 million to assume an additional increase to the employer share […] Read more » Budget K-12 k-12 education
Ashley Young Budget and Taxes Higher Education Reports Overview: 2025 Fiscal Year Budget for Higher Education January 30, 2024 / January 30, 2024 by Ashley Young Introduction Governor Brian Kemp’s proposed 2025 budget allocates $3.4 billion for the Board of Regents and $486 million for the Technical College System of Georgia. University System of Georgia Funding for the teaching portion of the university system’s operating budget is set to increase to $195 million. Major highlights include: $92 million for 4% […] Read more » Budget Higher Education HOPE HOPE Career Grant HOPE Scholarship Lottery Pre-K tcsg University System of Georgia usg
Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Ife Finch Floyd Reports Overview: 2025 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning January 29, 2024 / January 29, 2024 by Ife Finch Floyd Introduction The Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) administers Child Care Services; the Georgia Pre-kindergarten Program; Nutrition Services, which administers the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program; the Summer Meals program for low-income children in daycare facilities; and Quality Initiatives, which works to improve the quality and accessibility of child care programs. […] Read more » child care DECAL Department of Early Care and Learning Pre-K
Budget and Taxes Daniel Kanso, PhD Reports Overview of Georgia’s 2025 Fiscal Year Budget January 18, 2024 / January 18, 2024 by Daniel Kanso, PhD Introduction Over the last three years, Georgia has generated record budget surpluses. These surpluses have resulted in the state adding between 15 to 23% of total General Fund expenditures to its reserve accounts annually, reflecting unprecedented underestimates of state revenue collections. This year, Governor Brian P. Kemp’s $36.1 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Budget Surplus State Budget
Ashley Young Author Higher Education Reports Exploring the Context and Implementation of Georgia’s New College Completion Grants Program November 30, 2023 / November 30, 2023 by Ashley Young Executive Summary Access to education, regardless of race or economic background, is a widely shared value. Yet, for many Georgians, especially those of color, the expense of a higher education is an absolute barrier. Equitable need-based aid can help lower costs and expand higher education access for people of color, and modifying the […] Read more » Access to Counseling economic opportunity Economic Security Education Access Education Equity Equity-Centered Policies Financial Aid Higher Education Job Quality racial equity Skill-Building Structural Inequities Student Loan Debt
Budget and Taxes Daniel Kanso, PhD Economic Justice Education Featured Reports Georgia’s $16 Billion Question: Will the State Equitably Invest in Its People? October 31, 2023 / October 31, 2023 by Daniel Kanso, PhD Executive Summary Georgians deserve a state government that meets its obligations fully. Through a deliberative appropriations process, policymakers can allocate a historic level of resources to address the most critical needs facing Georgia families. The massive amount of general fund reserves held by the state of Georgia—which exceeded $16 billion at the conclusion […] Read more » bonuses budget practices Budget Surplus child care Economic Recovery economic stimulus equitable growth federal aid fiscal management Fiscal Policy Georgia Economy georgia-budget public funds revenue estimates revenue growth School Buses state investments state spending state workforce Surplus Funds Undesignated Reserves Workforce Needs
Education K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Schools Left with the Bill: Results of GBPI 2023 School District Survey October 10, 2023 / October 10, 2023 by Stephen Owens This report was co-authored by Jariel Davis, a fellow in the Southern Education Leadership Initiative, a program within the Southern Education Foundation. Every year, the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI) distributes a survey to each public school superintendent in the state to collect information on the effects of education funding on individual […] Read more » education-funding Georgia schools healthcare costs inflation impact k12 education non-certified employee health insurance opportunity weight public education pupil transportation school survey school teachers state funding student poverty teacher salaries
Crystal Munoz Economic Justice Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Reports Welcomed, Yet Not Welcome: Exploring Georgia’s Role in Immigration Enforcement and Detention September 27, 2023 / October 2, 2023 by Crystal Muñoz Executive Summary Georgia’s immigrants enhance Georgia’s social fabric through linguistic and cultural diversity and meet the state’s growing demand for entrepreneurial business acumen through an ability to navigate complex social dynamics and generate outside-the-box, globally minded business strategies. Immigrants are also an essential part of the state’s workforce, occupying C-suite positions in Fortune 500 companies […] Read more » anti-immigrant measures criminal legal system deportation detention Economic Justice enforcement equity Georgia immigrant rights immigration incarceration language access policy private prisons rural communities
Ashley Young Economic Justice Higher Education Ray Khalfani Reports Worker Justice From Barriers to Bridges: Expanding Access to Higher Education and Workforce Training in Georgia September 8, 2023 / September 11, 2023 by Ashley Young This report was co-authored by Education Analyst Ashley Young and Senior Analyst, Worker Justice & Criminal Legal Systems, Ray Khalfani. Executive Summary The education-to-workforce bridge is one of many critical pathways to economic security for Georgians. However, policy decisions can destabilize this bridge and reinforce broader structural inequities, including occupational segregation and student […] Read more » Access to Counseling Digital Divide economic opportunity Economic Security Education Access Education Equity Equity-Centered Policies Financial Aid Georgia Economy Higher Education Job Quality Occupational Segregation racial equity Skill-Building Structural Inequities Student Loan Debt Workforce Development Workforce Policy Workforce Training
Budget Primer Criminal Legal System Reform Ray Khalfani Reports Georgia Criminal Legal Systems Budget Primer for State Fiscal Year 2024 June 27, 2023 / June 26, 2023 by Ray Khalfani Georgia’s Department of Corrections Budget Georgia’s Department of Corrections (GDC) budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024 is $1.33 billion. GDC oversees all aspects of the state’s prison system, including contracts carried out by private prisons. Corrections officers make up most of the department’s workforce. GDC corrections officers have experienced higher turnover than the Georgia state […] Read more » Budget criminal justice Equitable Investment Fines and Fees incarceration Local Governments Mass Incarceration Racial Inequity
