Today marks the end of 2020, and I know we all are breathing a sigh of relief as 2021 is a sunrise away. As I reflect on this past year and everything that has tested us, feelings of fear, loss
The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s goal is to shine a light on people-first policies that help all Georgians share in the state’s prosperity. These are the policy priorities GBPI will track during 2021. Many are part of our People-Powered Prosperity campaign.
Higher education is a pathway to greater financial security and prosperity. The pandemic-induced recession illustrates how Georgians without degrees are most vulnerable during economic downturns, with unemployment rates for individuals with a high school education only—37 percent of
As the country finds itself in another historic recession, Georgia faces an opportunity to focus state financial aid resources on an equitable economic recovery. A budget-neutral and effective option is to rework the state’s troubled lottery-funded Student Access
HOPE has made college more accessible and affordable for more almost two million college students since Georgia voters approved the creation of the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarships and Grants more than 25 years ago. Georgia needs to develop and harness all
Georgia’s 2021 Education Budget Georgia lawmakers cut $1 billion from the state’s budget for the Department of Education. The bulk of these cuts, totaling $950 million, will be passed on to 181 local K-12 school systems. State support for private
HOPE At-a-Glance provides a quick and simple reference of the state’s six lottery-funded HOPE programs. HOPE provides grants and scholarships to students pursuing technical certificates and diplomas and associate and bachelor’s degrees. This downloadable, one-page fact sheet includes state budget
GBPI recently wrote the following letter to Senators Perdue and Loeffler asking them to support the HEROES act and aid Georgians in this difficult time. We need your help — please write our senators today asking them to help Georgians
Student Access Loans (SAL), or Low-Interest Loans, are student loans funded by lottery dollars. The program began in 2012. Before using SAL, student borrowers must first use all available federal, institutional and private scholarships and loans, as well
Key Takeaways Agency budget proposals for lottery-funded programs included no cuts to HOPE and $53 million in cuts to pre-K. This would mean the elimination of 4,000 slots for Pre-K students, 13 fewer instructional days for children and six fewer
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 public comment on Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program extension by February 20th – just complete this easily fillable form:
