Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education John McCosh K-12 Education Crossover Day Delivers Mixed Bag for Education, Tax Policy March 1, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by John McCosh Legislation to allow the use of state money for private schools stalled on Crossover Day 2018, while a proposal to give students more time to qualify as HOPE scholars also now faces a more convoluted path to passage. Meanwhile, a risky tax cut package designed to reduce Georgia revenues by $1.4 billion once fully phased […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Crossover Day Education Georgia General Assembly HB 482 HB 918 HB 928 Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 Legislature private schools State Taxes
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Time for Lawmakers to Choose Students Over Tax Cuts February 26, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Lawmakers are racing to pass a risky tax package that drains $1.4 billion a year from the state treasury once fully implemented. A better choice is to hit the pause button and send school districts the full amount of money the state’s own K-12 funding formula calculates they should get. The General Assembly is underfunding […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Education education-funding funding-formula HB 918 K-12 public-schools tax cuts
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Private School Savings Accounts Lack Oversight, Could Prove Costly February 22, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Bill 482 (LC 33 7253S) Georgia lawmakers are considering a plan to allow parents to take state money to pay for private schools and educational services. House Bill 482 creates an individual Education Savings Account, or ESA, program. The program would allow parents to redirect state money to pay for tuition and […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education Education Savings Account ESA HB 482 K-12 private schools
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Shrinking State Funds Trigger Student Bus Safety Concerns February 12, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Shrinking state funding for student transportation and rising costs are making it more difficult for school districts across Georgia to get children to and from school safely. The worsening financial pinch leaves districts with aging bus fleets on the road past their intended life, concerns about student safety and far fewer dollars to invest in […] Read more » Budget bus Claire Suggs Education K-12 Transportation
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Push to Expand Private School Tax Scholarships Disregards Lack of Evidence, Accountability February 8, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia’s Senate appears poised to act on an expansion of the state’s tax credit scholarship for private schools. This is despite a lack of reliable evidence on the existing program’s effectiveness or any proper safeguards to ensure it’s a good deal for taxpayers. House Bill 217 was introduced in 2017 and almost made it to […] Read more » Education Georgia Department of Education HB 217 K-12 Private School Scholarships
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2019 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education February 5, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 provides nearly $9.8 billion to educate Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students, a boost of nearly $353 million over current funding. Most of the increase goes to student enrollment growth, routine adjustments in teachers’ salaries, and the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia. Districts will continue to […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education Georgia Department of Education K-12 State Budget teachers Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
Budget and Taxes Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education Reports Overview of Georgia’s 2019 Fiscal Year Budget January 24, 2018 / February 26, 2021 by Taifa Smith Butler The $26 billion state budget proposed by Gov. Nathan Deal for the 2019 fiscal year starting July 1, 2018 lays out Georgia’s spending priorities for the coming year. It represents a $1.03 billion increase in total state spending over the 2018 budget approved last year. The budget is based on a very lean estimated growth […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes economy health Higher Education K-12 Legislature medicaid
Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education K-12 Education Worker Justice State of the State Highlights Recent Gains, But Major Needs Remain for Georgia January 11, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by GBPI Admin Gov. Nathan Deal gave his eighth and final State of the State address, titled Orchards of Opportunity, Thursday morning, highlighting accomplishments and challenges throughout his tenure, taking a focus on business and looking ahead in 2018. The GBPI team provided commentary on Twitter throughout his address, offering insight on progress made in recent years and focusing […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes economy Education Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 medicaid Medicaid Expansion
GBPI In The News Report links poverty to school performance in Georgia January 7, 2018 / March 5, 2021 by GBPI Admin Some 70 percent of Georgia school district leaders say poverty is the most significant out-of-school issue that limits student learning, according to a recent report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. That’s a view shared by local school leaders. Read the full article on The Gainesville Times. Read more » Claire Suggs Education K-12
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Poverty Leaves a Mark on Albany Area Schools December 20, 2017 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Poverty Leaves a Mark on Albany Area Schools The teachers at Alice Coachman Elementary School in Dougherty County are quick to tell you the students are smart. They may lack foundational skills but not intelligence. The declaration captures the promise of so many children in poverty and the challenges they confront, as well as the schools they attend. I visited the school as […] Read more » child-poverty Dougherty County Education Georgia Department of Education K-12 poverty
