Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Hundreds of Millions of Dollars at Stake for a Failed Policy | Bill Analysis House Bill 60 (LC 49 0793S) February 10, 2022 / February 10, 2022 by Stephen Owens Note: This piece provides an update to a 2021 analysis of a previous version of the bill, available here. Georgia’s General Assembly operates on a two-year session cycle, so while the bill did not pass in 2021 it is still live and lawmakers may consider the current version. Key Takeaways House Bill 60 would […] Read more » Budget K-12 k-12 education vouchers
Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Bill Analysis: House Bill 999 (LC 49 0739) February 10, 2022 / February 10, 2022 by Stephen Owens Key Takeaways House Bill 999 relies on a faulty measure to calculate the state’s allocations to public schools Georgia cannot afford to ignore the needs inside public schools in favor of exclusionary private schools State lawmakers concerned about Georgia’s children should reject HB 999 and consider legislation like HB 10 which provided additional funding […] Read more » Budget K-12 k-12 education vouchers
Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Overview: 2023 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education January 27, 2022 / October 13, 2026 by Stephen Owens Download PDF Gov. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 provides Georgia’s public schools $10.7 billion, a $493 million increase above current funding. This addition would end budget cuts to the Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula, the state’s metric to determine necessary funding to K-12 public schools. The proposal includes an […] Read more » Budget K-12 k-12 education
Fact Sheets K-12 Education Billions of Dollars Behind: District Facts Sheets Show Georgia Schools are Far from “Full Funding” September 21, 2021 / October 14, 2021 by Stephen Owens Over the last twenty years of public school funding in Georgia, the General Assembly has underfunded grants and avoided necessary improvements to the way schools are financed—all on top of cuts totaling $10 billion. The specific cuts (called “austerity cuts” or, more recently, “amended formula adjustment”) are damaging enough and can mask the other ways […] Read more » Budget Cuts Education K-12
K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Districts Turn to Federal Money to Fill Holes Made by the State: Results from GBPI’s 2021 School District Survey August 23, 2021 / August 25, 2021 by Stephen Owens This report was co-authored by Allie Schneider, Southern Education Foundation Policy Fellow Key Takeaways: 93 percent of surveyed districts reported planning to use federal relief funds to address budget shortfalls. School leaders have used Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) I and II funds to update technology, fill budget gaps and […] Read more » COVID-19 Education K-12
K-12 Education Learning the Basics Stephen Owens Retirement in Georgia’s Public Schools August 2, 2021 / August 2, 2021 by Stephen Owens Overview The state of Georgia maintains two pension systems for employees in public schools: the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) and the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). TRS members include full-time, certificated public teachers and school leaders. Once you retire, a formula dictates your monthly check based on your years of service and highest […] Read more » Education K-12 Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens Updated: Georgia Risks Losing Billions in Federal Funds for Public Schools July 29, 2021 / August 11, 2021 by Stephen Owens UPDATE: On 8/6/21 the U.S. Department of Education released updated guidance on the calculation for Maintenance of Equity requirements for the American Rescue Plan Act. Under this new determination for state expenditures, Georgia will likely not be found in violation of the provisions. Regardless of future action by the federal agency, Georgia’s public school system […] Read more » Education K-12
Budget Primer Higher Education K-12 Education Georgia Education Budget Primer for State Fiscal Year 2022 June 28, 2021 / July 1, 2021 by Stephen Owens This section is co-authored by K-12 Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Stephen Owens and Higher Education Senior Policy Analyst Jennifer Lee Georgia’s 2022 Education Budget The state budget for K-12 public schools is $10.2 billion in FY 2022. In the 2020 General Assembly, state lawmakers passed a budget with $1 billion in cuts to the Department […] Read more » Education Higher Education K-12 State Budget
Blog Budget and Taxes Caitlin Highland Sine Die 2021: Lawmakers Can Do More to Put People First March 31, 2021 / April 1, 2021 by Caitlin Highland The 2021 Legislative Session has officially ended. Much of the session was focused on efforts to undermine democracy and voting rights. Legislators also approved several bills that hinder economic prosperity and did not advance several measures that would put people first. However, some bills that passed do mark positive movement toward improved outcomes in our […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts Education health K-12 tax breaks
K-12 Education Stephen Owens School Vouchers: Myth vs. Fact March 5, 2021 / March 6, 2021 by Stephen Owens Debates around school funding and the best use of public dollars are rife with confusion. Discussion around school vouchers, which provide public funding for private education, seem to be a particular magnet for half-truths or previously disproven claims. The following table gives a few of the most popular myths, and the reality that runs counter. […] Read more » Education K-12 school vouchers vouchers
