John McCosh K-12 Education Public Education Austerity Cuts Persist in New State Spending Plan October 30, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by John McCosh | 3 Comments on Public Education Austerity Cuts Persist in New State Spending Plan Georgia is underfunding its K-12 programs to the tune of about $660 million this school year, according to the state’s own formula. Plans emerging from the governor’s Education Reform Commission threaten to lock in most of the cuts for the long term. Ongoing state funding shortfalls flagged by GBPI’s education expert Claire Suggs are among […] Read more » Education education budget cuts
K-12 Education Reports School Districts Get Growing Tab for Student Transportation October 27, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Years of deep cuts in state student transportation funding saddle school districts with more of the cost to bus students to and from school safely. These ongoing cuts could be made permanent if Georgia lawmakers adopt a proposal for a new formula to distribute state money to districts. Georgia requires its 180 districts to provide […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia Shifts Cost to Bus Schoolchildren to Local Districts October 27, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Georgia Shifts Cost to Bus Schoolchildren to Local Districts Every day across Georgia school buses carry students safely to and from school. This is an essential service, which the state requires school districts to provide. Transporting students also comes with a hefty price tag yet the state contributes little to its cost. The General Assembly has cut school transportation funding for more than a […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Planned Financial Support for Low-Income Students in a Slump October 7, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission members agree the state should send extra dollars to school districts to help them better meet the needs of low-income students but “extra” now means much less than it once did. The commission is developing a new formula to distribute state funds to public schools. It considered allotting an […] Read more » Education Education Reform
Featured Higher Education Inclusive Economy for Immigrants K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Worker Justice Open College Entry to Undocumented Students to Bolster Georgia’s Workforce September 29, 2015 / April 2, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Open College Entry to Undocumented Students to Bolster Georgia’s Workforce Many Georgia students started college for the first time this fall. That’s good news for Georgia as the state says it needs 250,000 additional college graduates to meet its workforce needs by 2020, according to Gov. Nathan Deal’s Complete College Georgia Initiative. The bad news is that the state is excluding an estimated 5,000 potential […] Read more » Higher Education Tuition Equity
Higher Education K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Reports Worker Justice Georgia’s Workforce Development, Economy Damaged by Barriers to Higher Education for Undocumented Students September 29, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson New federal policy provides Georgia an opportunity to increase access to higher education for many young Georgia immigrants who are now eligible to work without threat of deportation. Current policies that prevent these potential students from paying in-state tuition rates or even from attending Georgia universities outright undercut the state’s ability to compete for jobs […] Read more » Higher Education Tuition Equity
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Georgia’s Path to School Funding Reform Reaches Crossroads September 16, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs An updated version of this report is available Georgia’s effort to overhaul the formula it uses to split about $8.5 billion per year in state money among its 180 school districts is gaining momentum despite important omissions. A governor-appointed commission appears ready to adopt a new funding method that leaves issues critical to students’ success […] Read more » Education K-12
Blog Cash and Safety Net K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Worker Justice Educating Adults Critical to Georgia’s Success August 6, 2015 / March 12, 2021 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Educating Adults Critical to Georgia’s Success School is starting this week for many Georgia children but education ended much too soon for many of the state’s adults. Nearly 866,000 Georgians from 18 to 64 are without a high school diploma or GED. Georgia is home to the ninth highest share of adults in this age range in the country without a […] Read more » Economic Security Education Melissa Johnson Report Safety Net
K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Reports Improved Adult Education Support Critical to Georgia’s Bottom Line August 6, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia’s economic well-being is threatened by the high numbers of adults without a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Development credential (GED®). Nearly 866,000 Georgians ages 18 to 64 do not have a high school diploma or GED. Georgia’s adult education programs served only about 60,600 adults in 2014. Georgia’s leaders recognize that its […] Read more » Economic Security Education Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Opportunity School District Needs Transparency, Community Role March 13, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Opportunity School District Needs Transparency, Community Role A new legislative proposal to create a statewide “Opportunity School District” aims to boost student achievement at Georgia’s most challenged schools. Close scrutiny of the measure is warranted before its proposed drastic and permanent remedies are passed into law. Georgia Senate Bill 133 sets out the parameters of Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to allow the […] Read more » Education K-12
