Author Claire Suggs K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Reports Money Matters: Increased Education Investment Linked to Higher Achievement December 16, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Money invested in student learning matters. This is the conclusion most researchers reach after examining the relationship between funding and student achievement. It means Georgia is headed in the wrong direction as ongoing austerity cuts slashed $8.3 billion from state public school funding since 2003. Students across the state suffer the effects of these cuts, […] Read more » K-12
Alan Essig Budget and Taxes Mediocre Revenue Growth Won’t Fix Georgia’s Transportation, Education, Other Challenges December 11, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig It was good to hear state leaders acknowledge the need to bolster the state’s finances this week at an Athens conference attended by veteran and newly elected lawmakers preparing for next year’s legislative session. A state study committee spent months to determine that Georgia’s years of neglect of its transportation system is now a detriment […] Read more » Alan Essig State Budget State Taxes
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Unaccountable Agriculture Tax Break Hurting Rural Georgia December 4, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Unaccountable Agriculture Tax Break Hurting Rural Georgia A set of sales tax breaks passed by Georgia lawmakers in 2012 is a growing hardship for city and county governments struggling to fund schools, parks, libraries and other essential services. The problem is felt most outside of metro Atlanta, due to the larger than expected local revenue loss from a generous new tax break […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Living the Numbers: Climbing Class Sizes are Hurting Students November 20, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs I traveled to communities around Georgia the past few months to share findings from our recent reports on education funding, The Schoolhouse Squeeze 2014 and Cutting Class to Make Ends Meet 2014. My part is easy. I explain the numbers: how much state funding has been cut, how much local funding has fallen and how […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy November 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 2 Comments on Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy Over the last few months I’ve found myself tipping a little extra at my favorite local restaurants and dishing out some extra courtesy when I buy from my favorite neighborhood shops. It’s not because I’m any nicer than the next person or that I recently came into newfound wealth. It’s because since this summer I’ve […] Read more »
Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Better Pay for Honest Work November 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy Georgia’s economy is increasingly tilted toward the types of jobs that don’t pay workers enough to make ends meet or keep their families out of poverty. They are food servers at local restaurants. Retail clerks selling products they can’t afford. Home health aides helping the […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education The New Normal Does Not Work for Georgia’s Students November 5, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on The New Normal Does Not Work for Georgia’s Students The responses we got from our annual survey of Georgia educators this summer are troubling, the stress often pouring off the pages. Here is an example from Coffee County Schools: “[The greatest impact of the QBE austerity cuts have been] class size increases, elimination of teachers, para-professionals, secretarial and administration positions, furlough days, classified employees’ […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgia Voters Should Reject Tax Cap Constitutional Amendment October 30, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Next Tuesday, Nov. 4, Georgians will head to the polls to vote in what could be one of the most competitive elections in the state’s modern history. But you may be unaware that the most lasting legacy you can create for the state is how you vote on Constitutional Amendment A, sometimes described as the […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgians Set to Vote on Income Tax Straitjacket October 23, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Georgians Set to Vote on Income Tax Straitjacket Georgians will vote November 4th whether to permanently enshrine the state’s top income tax rate of 6 percent in the state’s constitution. The so-called “tax-cap” amendment sounds American as apple pie, right? No one looks forward to the day their income tax bill comes due and the prospect of capping the rate will understandably sound […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Claire Suggs Featured K-12 Education New GBPI Survey: Students Still Feel Budget Cuts’ Sting October 16, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs Here is a status report on the state of education in Georgia, from someone who knows: “Delayed instructional initiatives, depleted reserves, increased class sizes, frozen wages, deferred maintenance and negligible bus replacement. It doesn’t take great imagination to envision what could have been done over the last five years with $12.8 million in lost QBE […] Read more » K-12
