Fact Sheets K-12 Education Stephen Owens Teachers Retirement System of Georgia Explained June 27, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Stephen Owens | 12 Comments on Teachers Retirement System of Georgia Explained State lawmakers introduced several bills in the 2019 legislative session that could significantly alter the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) if passed in 2020. There are 390,000 current and former Georgia educators participating in the pension system as either active members or benefits recipients. Any changes to TRS have immense implications to the state’s […] Read more » Education K-12 Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens How Does Georgia Fund Schools? May 23, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Stephen Owens | 2 Comments on How Does Georgia Fund Schools? The video above is narrated by Dr. Stephen Owens, GBPI Senior Policy Analyst. Below is a full transcript. The decades-old law that dictates how the state of Georgia disperses money to schools sits at the heart of most education policy discussions in the state. This video will answer the question, “How does Georgia Fund Schools?” […] Read more » Education K-12 QBE Quality Basic Education school funding schools
Blog Budget and Taxes K-12 Education Stephen Owens A Half-Billion Steps in the Right Direction for Public Schools April 9, 2019 / February 26, 2021 by Stephen Owens In the 2019 legislative session Georgia lawmakers committed more than half a billion dollars to increase pay for teachers from Pre-K through 12th grade. Legislators intend for the allotment to increase salaries for certified teachers by $3,000 beginning July 1, 2019. This significant investment acts as a down payment toward a $5,000 raise that Gov. […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature pay raises public school State Budget teacher
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Daniel Kanso, PhD Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education Worker Justice Georgia’s FY 2020 Budget: Majority of New Spending Dedicated to $530 Million Teacher Pay Raise April 4, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Daniel Kanso, PhD | 1 Comment on Georgia’s FY 2020 Budget: Majority of New Spending Dedicated to $530 Million Teacher Pay Raise Georgia lawmakers gave final passage to the state’s $27.5 billion budget for the 2020 fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2019. Built on the state’s lowest estimate of revenue growth in a decade, the FY 2020 budget projects a conservative 3.2 percent increase in tax and fee collections above the previous fiscal year. The vast majority […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature State Budget
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Health Justice Higher Education Jennifer Lee K-12 Education Worker Justice Sine Die 2019: Progress and Missed Opportunities for a People-First Agenda April 4, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Lee | 2 Comments on Sine Die 2019: Progress and Missed Opportunities for a People-First Agenda The first legislative session under Gov. Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan ended on Tuesday, April 2. Because Georgia’s General Assembly operates on a biennial legislative session, any bills that failed to advance this year will be reassigned to committee and available for consideration when legislators reconvene in 2020. Here are some highlights as […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Education Higher Education K-12 Legislature State Budget
K-12 Education Reports Stephen Owens Bills Set Stage to Divert Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From Public to Private Schools March 28, 2019 / October 13, 2026 by Stephen Owens Download PDF March 28, 2019 Update – The original voucher expansion bill, SB 173, failed on the Senate floor before Crossover Day. This week, as session winds down, the language was added as an amendment to HB 68 (LC 46 0162S), which had already passed the House. This puts a revised version of the voucher bill […] Read more » Charter Schools Education K-12
GBPI In The News School bus drivers: This job shouldn’t be a dead end March 26, 2019 / January 16, 2020 by GBPI Admin Georgia has been shifting more of the cost of student transportation, including bus driver health insurance, to school districts, many of which are still suffering from the recession. GBPI’s Stephen Owens offered his thoughts on how the state should reconsider its commitment to student transportation. Read the full story at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Read more » K-12 Stephen Owens student transportation
Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education Jennifer Owens K-12 Education Georgia Legislative Session Update: Crossover Day Recap March 8, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Owens This week lawmakers hit a legislative session milestone. Thursday, March 7 marked Crossover Day, the day a bill originating in one chamber must pass to the other to have a chance at becoming law during the remainder of the legislative session. Several bills crossed over on or before the deadline and now careen toward the […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Crossover Day Education Georgia General Assembly Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 Legislature private schools State Taxes
GBPI In The News Ga. Senate Rejects School Voucher Bill March 6, 2019 / January 14, 2020 by GBPI Admin After a two-hour fiery debate, the Georgia Senate rejected a bill that would have essentially created a school voucher program. Senate Bill 173 would let parents put money the state allocates for their child in public school into an Education Savings Account (ESA). GBPI’s Stephen Owens said similar programs in other regions haven’t been successful. “We’ve seen […] Read more » Education K-12 school vouchers Stephen Owens
Fact Sheets Higher Education Jennifer Lee Georgia Lawmakers can Maximize Lottery Effectiveness February 25, 2019 / May 26, 2020 by Jennifer Lee The Georgia Lottery is intended to support a more educated Georgia where everyone gets a good early start to their education and an affordable path to a college degree. Too many lottery dollars sit idle. The state averages more than $53 million in lottery surplus every year which builds up the reserves instead of supporting […] Read more » Budget Education Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 State Budget
