Alex Camardelle Blog Worker Justice Women Entrepreneurs Help Power Georgia’s Economy, Though Barriers Remain October 3, 2018 / April 25, 2023 by Alex Camardelle October is National Women’s Small Business Month, and Georgia has something to celebrate as the state with the second-highest growth rate of women-owned businesses in the country. Georgia is home to 522,200 women-owned firms employing 283,100 people and contributing roughly $56 billion to the economy, according to the 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report by […] Read more » entrepreneurship Georgia women Jobs women-owned businesses
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Need-Based Aid Complements School Scholarships, Helps Fill Financial Holes for College Students October 2, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Jennifer Lee The University of Georgia is embarking on a campaign it calls Commit to Georgia. In part, the campaign raises money for need-based scholarships that help students from low-income backgrounds, featuring the slogan “blaze paths to futures that otherwise might be unattainable.” Donors join with schools to support students working to reach their goals. The federal […] Read more » Financial Aid Higher Education need-based aid University of Georgia University System of Georgia
Blog Health Justice Laura Harker Expanding Rural Hospital Tax Credit Won’t Cure Georgia’s Health Ailments September 26, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Laura Harker Georgia lawmakers may consider boosting the state’s annual tax credit for rural hospitals from $60 million to $100 million when the new legislature arrives for work in January. The effort to bring more money to financially struggling rural hospitals is commendable, but evidence points to greater financial benefits for rural hospitals and higher return on […] Read more » health medicaid Medicaid Expansion rural Georgia rural hospital tax credit Rural hospitals
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee “Momentum Year” Has Potential to Improve Graduation Rates September 14, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Jennifer Lee This semester, the University System of Georgia launched its Momentum Year initiative to improve college completion rates. Momentum Year is part of Complete College Georgia, whose goal is to increase the percentage of Georgians with postsecondary credentials to match the share of jobs that require them. Higher education and access to jobs form a vital […] Read more » college graduation rates Higher Education Jobs Momentum Year University System of Georgia
Blog K-12 Education Take Georgia’s School Rating System with a Grain of Salt September 13, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Stephen Owens This fall, the Georgia Department of Education is set to release its new annual scores for individual schools and districts, known as the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI). Well-designed accountability systems can provide parents and policymakers with useful information, but Georgia’s approach relies too much on standardized testing and includes other shortcomings that […] Read more » CCRPI College and Career Readiness Performance Index Education Georgia Department of Education K-12 schools
Blog Cash and Safety Net Jennifer Owens Worker Justice Striking New Data Shines Light on Statewide Affordable Housing Crisis August 21, 2018 / March 18, 2021 by Jennifer Owens No matter where you live in Georgia, the cost of housing stretches the paychecks of more and more families. From 2012-2016, roughly 1.3 million Georgia households were renters, representing 37 percent of Georgia’s population during that time. Housing issues look different in every community. In metropolitan parts of Georgia, affordable housing options continue to move […] Read more » affordable housing housing Minimum Wage rent
Blog K-12 Education School Backpack Drives Offer Insight into Equitable School Funding August 6, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Stephen Owens Students are back in class in Georgia now and many students from low-income families are carrying new backpacks filled with supplies through the kindness of strangers. Georgia’s Department of Education last month issued its annual plea for donated backpacks and supplies for the state’s “students in need.” The “Stuff the Bus” news stories popped up […] Read more »
Blog Budget and Taxes Taifa Smith Butler Georgians Say Yes to Our People-First Agenda August 1, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler The public has spoken. It’s time to invest in Georgia’s people. Georgians struggling to make it to the middle class—not to mention stay in it—face unprecedented headwinds in today’s economy. Stagnant wages are stifling the middle class, and families are steadily losing buying power as living costs continue to rise. The lack of access to […] Read more » child care Education health people-first People-Powered Prosperity State Taxes tax breaks
Alex Camardelle Blog Cash and Safety Net Worker Justice New Federal Poverty Bill Offers States More Options to Improve Economic Opportunity August 1, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Alex Camardelle Georgians struggling to move from poverty to the workforce stand to gain new pathways to employment under a proposed change to one of the country’s primary assistance programs. This summer the U.S. House of Representatives’ tax-writing committee approved the Joining Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) for Success Act, which aims to reauthorize the Temporary […] Read more » Department of Human Services economic opportunity Economic Security Jobs Joining Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act TANF
Blog People Powered Prosperity Join the Majority of Georgians Who Support a People-First Plan July 25, 2018 / May 19, 2020 by Eric Strunz An overwhelming majority of Georgians want the state to invest in people-first strategies including expanded access to education and mental health services, while raising new revenue to pay for them, according to a new Mason-Dixon statewide poll commissioned by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI). The poll revealed widespread support for GBPI’s People-Powered Prosperity […] Read more »
