Hundreds of millions of dollars proposed to address Georgia school problems

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Lawmakers discussed education during the second day of budget talks. You can’t talk about Georgia’s budget without talking about education. 55 cents of every tax dollar goes towards funding K-12 and higher education.

Gov. Brian Kemp proposed a budget that includes nearly includes $2.3 billion to address school issues such as security, teacher retention, and fully funding the HOPE Scholarship.

The Governor’s proposed budget would include funds to encourage paraprofessionals to pursue a teaching certification, give every K-12 school in the state a grant to increase school safety and allow schools to tailor programs to fit the unique needs of their student body.

Georgia State Rep. Mike Cheokas (R-138) says he supports everything in the Governor’s budget proposal.

“Security is heavy on the minds of our parents. These young people need additional support, adult support from parents and counselors,” said Cheokas.

A study from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators reports 82 percent of schools are short on teachers and 20 percent want to leave the profession in the next five years. Minority Caucus Chairman Billy Mitchell (D-88) supports the Governor’s support to fully fund the HOPE Scholarship.

“Education is the escalator for upward mobility, we have an ever-escalating cost to go to college. We don’t have a needs-based opportunity, if you can’t afford to go to college in this state, it becomes very difficult,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell believes there needs to be a needs-based grant for people who can’t afford to go to college.

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