Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens How Does Georgia Fund Schools? May 23, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Stephen Owens | 2 Comments on How Does Georgia Fund Schools? The video above is narrated by Dr. Stephen Owens, GBPI Senior Policy Analyst. Below is a full transcript. The decades-old law that dictates how the state of Georgia disperses money to schools sits at the heart of most education policy discussions in the state. This video will answer the question, “How does Georgia Fund Schools?” […] Read more » Education K-12 QBE Quality Basic Education school funding schools
Blog Higher Education Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Jennifer Lee Extending In-State Tuition to “Dreamers” Creates Opportunity for Georgia April 23, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Lee Marisol Estrada decided to attend Armstrong State, now part of Georgia Southern University, because it was in her hometown of Savannah and she could save on living expenses. She learned that tuition didn’t increase after 15 credit hours, so she enrolled in at least 18 credit hours each semester. She worked multiple jobs on campus, […] Read more » daca Dreamers Education Higher Education HOPE Scholarship immigration private schools public university
Blog Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Stephen Owens A Half-Billion Steps in the Right Direction for Public Schools April 9, 2019 / February 26, 2021 by Stephen Owens In the 2019 legislative session Georgia lawmakers committed more than half a billion dollars to increase pay for teachers from Pre-K through 12th grade. Legislators intend for the allotment to increase salaries for certified teachers by $3,000 beginning July 1, 2019. This significant investment acts as a down payment toward a $5,000 raise that Gov. […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature pay raises public school State Budget teacher
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Daniel Kanso, PhD Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education Worker Justice Georgia’s FY 2020 Budget: Majority of New Spending Dedicated to $530 Million Teacher Pay Raise April 4, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Daniel Kanso, PhD | 1 Comment on Georgia’s FY 2020 Budget: Majority of New Spending Dedicated to $530 Million Teacher Pay Raise Georgia lawmakers gave final passage to the state’s $27.5 billion budget for the 2020 fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2019. Built on the state’s lowest estimate of revenue growth in a decade, the FY 2020 budget projects a conservative 3.2 percent increase in tax and fee collections above the previous fiscal year. The vast majority […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature State Budget
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Health Justice Higher Education Jennifer Lee K-12 Education Worker Justice Sine Die 2019: Progress and Missed Opportunities for a People-First Agenda April 4, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Lee | 2 Comments on Sine Die 2019: Progress and Missed Opportunities for a People-First Agenda The first legislative session under Gov. Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan ended on Tuesday, April 2. Because Georgia’s General Assembly operates on a biennial legislative session, any bills that failed to advance this year will be reassigned to committee and available for consideration when legislators reconvene in 2020. Here are some highlights as […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature State Budget
K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Bills Set Stage to Divert Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From Public to Private Schools March 28, 2019 / October 13, 2026 by Stephen Owens Download PDF March 28, 2019 Update – The original voucher expansion bill, SB 173, failed on the Senate floor before Crossover Day. This week, as session winds down, the language was added as an amendment to HB 68 (LC 46 0162S), which had already passed the House. This puts a revised version of the voucher bill […] Read more » Charter Schools Education K-12
Higher Education Jennifer Lee Higher Education: Legislative and Budget Updates March 27, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Lee The Senate Higher Education committee passed HB 218 and HB 444. HB 218 would extend the time that students have to earn HOPE after high school to ten years from the current seven. This bill would not affect HOPE award caps or GPA requirements. The Department of Audits and Accounts estimated a budget impact beginning […] Read more »
Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens Georgia Lawmakers Should Renew Their Commitment to Student Transportation March 22, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Stephen Owens In House Bill 31, the state of Georgia continues a pattern of shortchanging pupil transportation that triggers safety concerns and significant costs for local school districts.[1] In FY 2019 the state allotted $131 million for pupil transportation through the Quality Basic Education funding formula, representing a 22.3 percent decrease from FY 2009. Over this same […] Read more » hb 31 house bill 31 k12 public school school bus school transportation student transportation
Budget and Taxes Higher Education Jennifer Lee Reports Legislation Curbs Growth of Dual Enrollment Costs | Bill Analysis: House Bill 444 (LC 33 7896S) March 13, 2019 / October 13, 2026 by Jennifer Lee | 1 Comment on Legislation Curbs Growth of Dual Enrollment Costs | Bill Analysis: House Bill 444 (LC 33 7896S) Download PDF Updated on May 8, 2019: Though House Bill 444 did not pass during the 2019 legislative session, the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) used its regulatory authority to change Dual Enrollment payment rates to colleges. GSFC eliminated awards for books and fees. The program used to pay colleges for tuition, mandatory fees and […] Read more » Dual Enrollment higher ed HOPE Scholarship Jennifer Lee State Taxes
Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education Jennifer Owens K-12 Education Georgia Legislative Session Update: Crossover Day Recap March 8, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Owens This week lawmakers hit a legislative session milestone. Thursday, March 7 marked Crossover Day, the day a bill originating in one chamber must pass to the other to have a chance at becoming law during the remainder of the legislative session. Several bills crossed over on or before the deadline and now careen toward the […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Crossover Day Education Georgia General Assembly Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 Legislature private schools State Taxes
