As published in the Saporta Report on February 3, 2014 The good news for Georgia is the state’s economy continues to recover from the recent recession and state revenues are heading in a positive direction. The not-so-good news is the
Funding Inches Up, Gaps Persist Georgia’s proposed $1.94 billion budget for higher education in the 2015 fiscal year adds some much needed money for several key initiatives compared to the prior year. However most of the increase just keeps pace
Budget Cuts for K-12 Shrink, but Still Loom Large The $7.95 billion budget proposal for public education in the state’s 2015 fiscal year makes a down payment to eliminate the austerity cut in state funding for schools. Most districts should
Funding for Pre-Kindergarten and HOPE Falls Short of Students’ Needs The governor’s proposed $948 million budget for the state’s lottery-funded programs in the 2015 fiscal year falls short of what is needed to provide Georgians broad access to pre-kindergarten and
As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on January 12, 2014. Georgia’s leaders are talking about increasing spending on public schools for the first time since the Great Recession forced drastic state budget cuts. Those cuts continue to prompt local districts
Performance funding for higher education is coming to Georgia. Beginning fall 2015, state funding for the university system and the technical college system will be based on the numbers of students who stay on track and complete their programs. This
In the midst of fierce debates about ways to improve public education, there is consensus on one issue: Teachers who are caring and competent are an essential element of students’ academic success. Teachers change children’s lives, help them to thrive
Georgia’s public schools are not fully funded. The General Assembly provided $1 billion less to school districts than the state’s own K-12 funding formula calculated they need to educate their students this year. A glance at the state’s budget for
Plans to drastically cut or abolish state income taxes and replace them with higher sales taxes are gaining traction in Georgia. These tax shift plans threaten to harm Georgia’s schoolchildren and university students because deep income tax cuts would likely
This summer the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute contacted superintendents from all 180 of the state’s school districts to ask about two dozen questions designed to reveal measures they’ve taken in the wake of years of state budget cuts. One
The Georgia Budget Primer is GBPI’s signature annual examination of state revenues and investments. It outlines Georgia’s budget changes, trends and impacts regarding taxes, education, health care, human services and criminal legal systems. This year we are taking special care to describe how federal funding contributes to Georgia’s budget.
Submit public comment on Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program extension by February 20th – just complete this easily fillable form:
