Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education State Shortchanges Public Schools Again May 22, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 3 Comments on State Shortchanges Public Schools Again Georgia is underfunding public schools by $747 million in the 2015 fiscal year that starts July 1, continuing a pattern of ignoring its own funding formula to provide a quality education. The General Assembly underfunded public schools every year since 2002, as calculated by the state’s Quality Basic Education formula. The cuts now total more […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Legislature’s Education Spending Plan Better, but Still Earns a “Needs Improvement” April 3, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 2 Comments on Legislature’s Education Spending Plan Better, but Still Earns a “Needs Improvement” The governor and state legislators made education funding a major talking point during the 2014 legislative session. Lawmakers made a less severe cut to public school funding than in recent years. The recurring $1 billion annual shortfall Georgia’s public schools suffered through since the recession is trimmed to about $750 million next year. Still, districts […] Read more » K-12
Author Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs Featured K-12 Education Policy Areas Overview: 2015 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education January 23, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs 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 be able to restore the school calendar to the 180-day standard next year. However, most […] Read more » K-12 State Budget
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Yes, Georgia’s Schools Really are Underfunded December 6, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 2 Comments on Yes, Georgia’s Schools Really are Underfunded 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 the funding formula, also known as the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, makes that clear. […] Read more » K-12
Author Claire Suggs Featured K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Reports Cutting Class to Make Ends Meet November 6, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia’s public schools are at a tipping point. School districts are coping with state funding cuts in recent years by shrinking the school calendar, increasing class sizes and furloughing teachers. A new survey of school districts by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) finds school systems throughout the state struggling to provide a quality […] Read more » K-12
Author Claire Suggs K-12 Education Library Reports The Schoolhouse Squeeze September 17, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs State Cuts, Plunging Property Values Pinch School Districts Georgia’s school districts are struggling against a relentless financial squeeze. The Georgia Legislature cut billions in state funding for public schools in recent years, while plunging property values drove down the main local source of revenue, the property tax. Meanwhile, the number of low-income students is soaring, […] Read more » K-12
Author Claire Suggs Fact Sheets K-12 Education Library Policy Areas The Schoolhouse Squeeze Report Summary September 17, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs State Cuts, Plunging Property Values Pinch School Districts School districts across Georgia are relentlessly pressed by ongoing cuts in state funding and simultaneous declines in property values. “The Schoolhouse Squeeze,” a new report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, takes a fresh look at the convergence of shrinking state financial support and declining local […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education State Education Strategy Stuck in Restart Mode August 16, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia has a maddening habit. State officials support education policies with real potential to improve teaching and help students learn more. Then, time after time, they don’t invest the money needed to implement these policies effectively or within all districts. The most recent example of this is the state’s decision to pull out of the […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia’s College Students Squeezed Again April 25, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Georgia’s College Students Squeezed Again It just got tougher for Georgia’s students to afford college. Last week the Board of Regents of the state’s university system raised tuition for fall 2013. The tuition hikes range from a high of 7 percent at Georgia Tech to 2.5 percent at state universities. Students at the state’s flagship, the University of Georgia, will […] Read more » K-12
Author Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs Featured K-12 Education Reports Overview: Georgia’s 2014 Fiscal Year Budget for PK-12 February 5, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Claire Suggs New Plan Continues $1 Billion Underfunding of QBE The overview of Georgia’s 2014 fiscal year budget for K-12 education report reviews the proposed FY 2014 budget and the impact it has on early childhood and K-12 education. Georgia continues to shortchange its K-12 students. The Quality Basic Education (QBE) program, the primary mechanism for distributing […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12 Pre-K State Budget
