Director of Education

Dr. Stephen Owens

Dr. Stephen Owens is the education director at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Stephen advocates for diverse, inclusive and excellent public schools through research and data analysis.

Prior to joining GBPI in 2018, Stephen was a research and data analyst at the Georgia Department of Education. He created data visualizations to help district and state policymakers better understand school outcomes, assisted in the creation of Georgia’s plan to implement federal education legislation (the Every Student Succeeds Act), and produced analyses that shaped public policy for Georgia’s schools.

Stephen graduated from the University of Georgia, where he holds a doctorate with a focus on education policy. His dissertation centered on state-level agenda formation.

Recent Posts by Stephen

special education featured image K-12 Education

Special Education Funding in Georgia

By several measures Georgia has a typical special education program, but this says less about the state and ...
3 ways to fix GA ed funding Blog

Three Ways to Fix Georgia Education Funding

Five Georgia senators will meet over the next few months to review education funding mechanisms as a part ...
support schools post roe featured image Blog

How to Support Georgia’s Schools Post-Roe

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down Roe v. Wade has left states to decide limits on abortion ...
School-Drop-Off Budget and Taxes

Hundreds of Millions of Dollars at Stake for a Failed Policy | Bill Analysis House Bill 60 (LC 49 0793S)

  Note: This piece provides an update to a 2021 analysis of a previous version of the bill, ...
k12 education budget overview image (1) Budget and Taxes

Bill Analysis: House Bill 999 (LC 49 0739)

  Key Takeaways House Bill 999 relies on a faulty measure to calculate the state’s allocations to public ...
k12 education budget overview image (1) Budget and Taxes

Overview: 2023 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education

    Gov. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 provides Georgia’s public schools $10.7 billion, a ...
Students wearing masks while taking an exam in a classroom K-12 Education

State of Education Funding (2022)

This report offers an assessment of the state of education funding in Georgia by analyzing how it compares ...
k12 survey 2021 cover K-12 Education

Districts Turn to Federal Money to Fill Holes Made by the State: Results from GBPI’s 2021 School District Survey

    This report was co-authored by Allie Schneider, Southern Education Foundation Policy Fellow Key Takeaways: 93 percent ...
Retirement cover K-12 Education

Retirement in Georgia’s Public Schools

 Overview The state of Georgia maintains two pension systems for employees in public schools: the Teachers Retirement ...
K12 blog cover Blog

Updated: Georgia Risks Losing Billions in Federal Funds for Public Schools

UPDATE: On 8/6/21 the U.S. Department of Education released updated guidance on the calculation for Maintenance of Equity ...
k12overview Blog

Fund Georgia’s Future and Partners Recommend a Plan for ARPA Funding

    Dear Superintendent Woods: The undersigned civil rights and education advocacy organizations in Georgia write to provide ...
preK K-12 Education

Betting on our Future: Results from Pre-K Survey on Lottery Funding, Effects of COVID-19

    This report was co-authored by Stephen Owens, Ph.D, Senior Policy Analyst & Denae Clowers, Policy Intern ...

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