The Georgia House of Representatives passed a budget plan that could, for the first time, provide additional funding to assist low-income students in public schools. Approved by a 171-4 vote, the proposal designates $28 million for this purpose. Supporters of the measure, however, assert that the amount is considerably less than what is needed to achieve meaningful improvements.
Under House Bill 68, the overall budget would allocate $37.7 billion in state funds and a total of $73.1 billion starting July 1. This plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration and includes measures to increase expenditure on prisons, provide additional bonuses for certain state retirees, and elevate salaries for judges.
Georgia’s existing school funding formula, which has been in place for four decades, primarily helps school districts with limited property tax revenue due to low property values. Despite this, there is ongoing debate, especially from Democrats and educational advocates, about increasing funding specifically directed towards impoverished students.
Rebecca Sibilia, a longtime advocate for equitable school funding and executive director of Ed Fund, emphasized the additional challenges faced by students from low-income backgrounds. Notably, about 36% of Georgia’s 1.75 million public school students, which equates to approximately 625,000 students, come from financially disadvantaged households according to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
While the proposed $28 million may only equate to around $45 per student, experts like Sibilia argue that at least $1,000 more per student is needed to start seeing tangible improvements in academic performance. This signifies a requirement for up to $625 million statewide, with estimates suggesting that an even larger financial commitment could yield better results. Senator Jason Esteves has proposed an even more ambitious funding increase of about $2 billion.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett signaled openness to allocating more funds in future budgets. Representing a high-poverty district, he acknowledged the new funding as a preliminary response to a recognized need.
Georgia remains one of only five states, alongside Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, and West Virginia, without enhanced funding for schools with economically disadvantaged students. In contrast, 45 other states, including the District of Columbia, have established such funding mechanisms.
Schools servicing poor communities often require additional investment in various programs to level the playing field. This includes investments in transportation, nutritional programs, and extracurricular activities, which are crucial for fostering better academic outcomes.
The House proposal also suggests an increase in public education spending by an additional $98 million above the Governor’s recommendations, resulting in a total expenditure of $16 billion. Among the earmarked allocations, $25 million is set aside to support the creation of a database tracking at-risk students, a key element of a recently-approved school safety bill.
Further funds include a $19.6 million investment for mental health counseling grants accessible to every public middle and high school at a value of $20,000 each. Schools can either employ counselors directly or contract external services. An additional $10.8 million aims to recruit literacy coaches to enhance reading instruction for early-grade students, with another $2 million dedicated to researching literacy coaching standards.
Moreover, $10 million has been allocated to support afterschool and summer enrichment programs, replacing federal pandemic relief funds. The plan also includes $5 million to increase the number of school social workers, helping to improve attendance rates among frequently absent students.
The budget outlines a strategy to fund various capital projects by borrowing money, thus enabling the reallocation of financial resources. The House’s amendments also entail a significant reduction in the projected expenditure for a new school voucher program, scaling back from $141 million to $46 million due to anticipated lower demand. These $6,500 vouchers are intended to assist families seeking private or home-school education options.
