Public School Funding Concerns

Public education advocates in Georgia have expressed concerns about the governor's budget plan as it relates to K-12 school funding in our state, particularly a claim that the new budget "includes no reductions to QBE, Equalization Grants, State Schools or other enrollment driven programs." According to Joe Martin, executive director of the Georgia School Funding Association, "This statement would be true if the word 'further' was inserted before the word 'reductions,' but without any clarification, it creates an impression that is very misleading. It would be far more accurate to say that a formula which has not been updated for years will still be cut by more than $1 billion.  The combined effect of an unrealistic formula and huge austerity reductions comes to about $30,000 a year for a typical class in Georgia.  Moreover, the equalization grants, which are intended to help the least wealthy systems, will be cut by nearly half from what is intended by the current law."  

In 2011 school systems in Texas and Colorado have sued the state to get adequate and appropriate funding from the state to meet their laws.  Will systems in Georgia be forced to pursue similar measures to insure equal access to adequate education?

William