Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Private School Scholarship Savings Claims Deserve Skepticism March 17, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs State lawmakers are considering a big expansion of the private school scholarship tax credit program. House Bill 217 proposes to hike the program’s cap to $100 million from the current $58 million over the course of a few years. The program is a variation on traditional school vouchers, which are private school scholarships funded directly […] Read more » K-12 Private School Scholarships
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Misguided March to Expand Tax Credits for Private School Scholarships March 9, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Misguided March to Expand Tax Credits for Private School Scholarships The Georgia Senate is considering a plan to expand the state’s private school scholarship tax credit program after the House recently approved House Bill 217. The bill proposes to raise the annual cap on tax credits from $58 million to $100 million for donations to organizations issuing the scholarships. Its potential fiscal impact is cause […] Read more » K-12
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Ballooning Tax Credit for Private School Scholarships February 27, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Bill 217 (LC 34 5120S) State lawmakers are considering a bill that proposes to swell the annual price of Georgia’s tax credit for private school scholarships. House Bill 217 raises the cap to $100 million from the current $58 million on a program that diverts tax revenue from the state to organizations […] Read more » K-12
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Education Savings Accounts Carry Huge Price Tag February 21, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Education Savings Accounts Carry Huge Price Tag Fact Sheet: Senate Bill 68 (LC 33 6784) Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill to allow parents to take state money to pay for private educational services. Senate Bill 68 proposes an Individual Education Savings Account, or ESA, program. These savings accounts allow parents to redirect public money to pay for private school tuition and […] Read more » Education Savings Account K-12
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs Higher Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for Higher Education February 13, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed budget of nearly $2.3 billion for the university system and approximately $360 million for technical colleges includes money to increase salaries, which should help both systems attract and retain faculty. Still, state spending per student in the university system remains well below earlier levels so financial pressures that led to tuition […] Read more » Budget Overview FY2018 Higher Education
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for Lottery-Funded Programs February 10, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed 2018 budget includes $57.4 million in additional lottery funds, bringing the combined total for Georgia’s lottery funded Pre-Kindergarten and HOPE financial aid programs to $1.13 billion. About $757 million of that total is allocated to the HOPE program, and the remaining $364 million is directed to Pre-K. The most significant funding […] Read more » Budget Overview HOPE Pre-K
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Filling the Gaping Hole in Public School Budgets February 7, 2017 / March 15, 2021 by Claire Suggs State funding for Georgia’s public schools went up $1.5 billion from fiscal year 2014 to 2017 and is set to go up $515 million if the General Assembly approves Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2018 budget. These are big numbers. Still, many school districts continue to feel the strain of financial pressures. The reason schools struggle financially […] Read more » K-12
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education February 2, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year boosts funding for Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students by $515 million over the current budget for a total of $9.4 billion. The proposal includes a 2 percent salary increase for authorized teachers. At the same time, districts face growing financial pressures. The budget calls […] Read more » Education FY2018 K-12
Claire Suggs Fact Sheets K-12 Education School Districts Stuck with Higher Busing Costs in Proposed Formula January 13, 2017 / October 28, 2020 by Claire Suggs Rural school districts and others with high student transportation costs stand to lose financially under the funding formula proposed by Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission. The commission’s recommendations call for eliminating the current grant program that sends transportation dollars to districts and instead shifting the grant money to the general per-student amount allotted to […] Read more » education-reform-commission K-12 Transportation
Blog Budget and Taxes Health Justice K-12 Education Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice Stabilizing Georgia’s Health System Tops 2017 Legislative To-do List January 10, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler As published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution A reeling state health care system. Chronically underfunded public schools. Working families and communities that need a financial boost. State lawmakers convene in Atlanta this week with those pressing issues on their to-do list once again. Georgia’s 236 legislators also are required to pass a budget, expected to […] Read more » EITC K-12 medicaid
